The Scarlet Star
by Lady Shockbox
Summary: A sister fanfic to "The Little Details" - When stars turn scarlet in the night sky, it means that they're about to die. Unfortunately, Waspinator realized that far too late when he fell in love with Terrorsaur. Waspinator's POV. Heavy Slash. Beast Wars
1. Act I

This, quite possibly, is the most epic thing I have _ever_ put down in words. I started writing this right after _"The Little Details"_ went up and it has taken me nearly an entire year to write. This epic tops its predecessor most definitely and I honestly cried in parts where I reread this fic. It sounds scary, but I was honestly moved writing from _Waspinator's _point of view. This story is my baby and I worked without sleep sometimes just so I could strive finishing it. Without those of you who supported me in writing this, I would have _never_ finished it by the New Year. Since you requested it too, yes, I will do another fic like this from Terrorsaur's point of view. I love you guys.

For everyone else, I'll give you fair warning before you read. This is _not _a story for the faint of heart. This fanfic contains _very _heavy slash, politics that involve taking away civil rights, drug references, sparkling abortion, child abuse, prostitution, gang beating, cannon death, and _rape_. If you are even _mildly _uncomfortable with any of the terms previously mentioned - mostly concerning the slash element - hit the back button _right now. _Those of you who plan to go along for the ride, please enjoy. For the people who already read the fic this is based on… I have a twist conclusion waiting at the end of the story for you.

As a final note, I now present _"The Scarlet Star."_

* * *

**I thought you said forever, over and over**

**A sleepless night becomes bitter oblivion**

_Paperthin Hymn_ - Anberlin

**When I see your smile, tears run down my face**

**My true love, my whole heart, please don't throw that away**

_Your Guardian Angel_ - Red Jumpsuit Apparatus

"I wish I knew how to quit you!" ~Jack, _"Brokeback Mountain"_

_Dedicated to everyone who lost the fundamental right to marriage with the bigoted passing of California's Proposition 8._

**A Sister Fanfic - Based off_ "The Little Details"_**

February 14th, 2009, just like its predecessor, _"The Scarlet Star"_ won first place in Ultimate Evil Person's _'Best Romance Fanfiction Awards' _with high honors The individual who nominated the story for the award remains anonymous.

**i**

My scarlet star?

…I don't want to remember but, at the same time, I _do_. In memory, I suppose, it would be the least I could do for him. He was my scarlet star after all and he always _will_ be. He was a burning crimson light among the sky's dark blackness and, in my world, he was the utter definition of total perfection. Of all the stars in my sky, he burned the brightest of all and I lived for him. _Functioned_ for him. Without a doubt, he had lived for me too… _once_ lived. I should have realized all stars eventually die out when I had the chance. I simply made the mistake of thinking he would never burn out. By the Pitt, if only I had managed to convince him to take that spot by the CR chamber when _it_ happened before _it_ killed him… I supposed he saved my life, but the suffering I now face in aftermath almost isn't worth it. I can't self terminate seeing that would waste his sacrifice and render it for nothing but… Primus, I miss him _so_ _much…_

I remember the whole ordeal involving him and I like the places he loved to be touched most on his lithe body. It started out like any other partnership. Simple and nothing more than trivial business.

I met him for the first time in an abandoned warehouse after Megatron had collected us - his assorted mismatched crew - for his plan to steal the Golden Disk. It was less than a mere week before the master plan was to be carried out and we were grudgingly reduced to meeting in the slurs of an abandoned Predacon shipping port that had been shut down by Maximal law enforcement. In any case, Megatron was the one who introduced me to my scarlet star. The violet Predacon approached me from behind prior to the meeting going underway and, beforehand, I was sitting alone while listening to Scrappernok and Dinominer - who eventually renamed themselves Scorponok and Dinobot once they took their animal forms - talk over possible security systems they would encounter stealing the Golden Disk. The tyrant came to a stop and tapped me on the shoulder, making me whip around to face him in surprise. Behind Megatron was a scarlet Seeker, his arms folded across his chest and his wings rigid.

Megatron's voice when he spoke, to this day, is still as clear as a bell to me. "You there, Terminator. That _is_ you're name isn't it? Never mind that, I want to introduce you to your new partner. The both of you will be responsible for stealing our getaway ship and flying it to the archives where you'll pick the rest of us up. Anyways, this is Terrorsoar."

From the moment I met him, I suppose both of us knew something was bound to intertwine our fates. If the immediate silence that followed our optics meeting for the first time didn't give it away, the intensity of our stares would have. His optics, a brilliant scarlet that burned with a raging fire of unresolved, pent up passion, bore into my own and I was instantly lost in them. We broke optic contact eventually, though I failed to realize that I'd be lost in those same eyes forever. We were silent to each other beside that. We only spoke when absolutely needed - I told him to watch his back when we were preparing to steal the _Darkside_ from the Maximal docking harbor and he gave me thanks - but there were no real conversations that passed between us.

Even after we crashed on prehistoric Earth - I did not realize it when we first crashed, but I know it's prehistoric Earth now-we were quiet towards each other still. I changed my name from Terminator to Waspinator and he changed his from Terrorsoar to Terror_saur_.

Despite the fact we were Megatron's only fliers and were often paired together for patrol missions, little words passed between us still. Aside the occasional pointing out of something suspicious while flying or Terrorsaur barking orders at me when we saw Maximals below, it was quiet between us. Terrorsaur was normally the stronger of us and, consequently, more dominant. While I seemed to be the more headstrong of our duo, it didn't matter in regards to finding something to fill in our wordless voids. It was still mostly silence. Back then, I presumed we could call it the silence of a flier's respect, though I was uncertain as to _why_ we never wanted to actually converse in a conversation. I tried to start some a few times, once pointing out how pretty the ground looked below while we flew over a vast savannah, but he merely shrugged it off and said it was okay before going quiet once more. There was another time that I asked him if he ever smoked while we were patrolling further out from the base than usual. He glared at me, told me no with an insulted tone, and we accidentally locked gazes. We stared at one another for a long time before he broke the contact and he asked me to not talk to him for the rest of our flight. I didn't.

We were certainly an odd pair and I was beginning to understand why a good portion of ground crawlers back on Cybertron said that fliers were weird. I was probably no exception with my strange vocalization habits and overall behavior.

Before we crash landed and became stranded, I was as normal as any of the crew… With the exception of Tarantulus for obvious reasons, but that's because he's a lunatic. Whether my beast-mode altered my CPU programming before the crash jarred my senses, I suddenly found I could not talk in first person or without a buzz. It was horrifying when I found I had a vocal glitch but, despite several elongated rounds in the CR, the damage could not be undone. It was aggravating and, despite how hard I willed my core consciousness to match what I wanted to say with my vocalizer transmitter, I _still_ talked like a total fool. Articulating pronouns was incredibly difficult for me and no one could really understand what I was ever talking about.

All of them except for Terrorsaur. Ironic really…

The red Predacon, if you ignored me completely, also had audible changes when we crashed. Back on Cybertron, his voice had a rasp that sounded like he had been a heavy smoker for a good portion of his life. That was the reason I asked him if he smoked during that one patrol. After getting our new beast-modes though, his overall tone had a screeched element added to it. His voice was enough to give anyone a headache and his shriek when someone scared him or shot him down was nearly _unbearable_. Still, he was the only one who did understand what I was saying and he often translated on my behalf to the others. Everyone adjusted to my speech patterns after awhile, but the fact remained that Terrorsaur and I were still quiet with each other. I'd thanked him for playing the role as translator, but he shrugged it off and said nothing. We were still silent.

Optic locking was another thing altogether. Even though we didn't speak openly to one another for whatever reason that made us uncomfortable to, our staring contests made up for it. Greatly so.

The small glances we shared turned into fully blow out, intense staring contests. We came into eye contact very often, habitually staring at one another like we were seeing the other for the first time in our entire existence. No one else seemed to notice - that made me thankful - but it was unnerving all the same. He could have been working at a monitor, I at a console, and I would just barely incline my head to look over my shoulder when he would look as well. It was a coincidence he would do so, almost as if a higher power made him glance in my direction, and our eyes would lock like a vice grip instantly. His optics, brilliant crimson with a burning zeal, were ones I would instantly be lost in. We usually broke the contact around the same time, but I felt as though he backed out more often. I would often both hope and dread for the next time we would have another unannounced staring bouts.

Then we tried to avoid each other completely.

I wasn't all too sure if the rest of the Predacons noticed, but I honestly didn't care. Our staring contests - if you could even call them that - finally made me loose my nerve. I avoided Terrorsaur at all costs and, almost as if he was physic, he began to avoid me as well. Even _when_ we started the habit of purposely avoiding each other however, attempting to not to get into those staring matches still seemed almost futile. We still locked optics very often and, as a result, we both seemed to go to even more unconscious extremes to eliminate the chances completely. We flew further away from each other during patrols and I wondered if there was something we were trying to avoid about one another. It seemed like a queer thought but, then again, there were things about Terrorsaur that even I could not pin. During the new development in our 'relationship', the silence still lingered between us like a thick steel barrier.

One day however, the barrier was broken like Megatron's body when Terrorsaur tossed him over the side of a cliff. This was after Terrorsaur supercharged himself on raw energon in a drunken attempt to overthrow our leader.

Terrorsaur had approached us - being the entire Predacon fleet - while we were on one of the plateaus by the _Darkside_. Megatron had brought us out there to test our new defensive grid security system and Terrorsaur challenged the mauve tyrant. Megatron took the challenge, not realizing Terrorsaur's immense spike in physical power, and he was nearly killed as a result. Terrorsaur had taken command but, in the middle of giving us orders in regards to attacking the Maximals, he seemingly doubled over in pain. Despite the fact I'd been avoiding him for sometime, my spark twisted slightly in its chamber seeing the red flier looking like he was hurt. He left hastily after telling Tarantulus he was temporarily in charge. I wasn't sure why I felt the way I did but Tarantulus left before I could contemplate further. Scorponok commanded me to assist in gathering Megatron's dismantled parts so we could revive him. I only listened to the mechanic and collected our fallen tyrant's pieces in an attempt to get Terrorsaur off my mind.

It didn't work very well. I still thought about the scarlet flier when I salvaged our leader's parts. My mind was _still_ caught up with Terrorsaur's image even when Megatron was revived.

Scorponok had filled him in on the situation after he came back online. I stood by the computer monitors watching for any sign of my red wingmate intently. I had made the scans necessary to attempt finding Terrorsaur but I accidentally found a floating mountain of energon instead. Scorponok made the connection that it was what Terrorsaur used to supercharge himself and Megatron seemed astounded when Scorponok filled him in. He also looked angered though, and even more so when the long range sensors on the _Darkside's _radar indicated said mountain had been destroyed. Megatron's temperamental rage seemed to peak greatly and it was something that concerned me. If one thing was for sure, it was that Terrorsaur had bitten off far more than he could possibly hope to chew.

I was worried for him. I continued to remain silent with my mind trying to piece things together as to why I felt as I did. That was until Terrorsaur returned.

The pterodactyl came from the western side of the base and swooped in, trying in his best power to keep his wings steady as he flew. It showed just how much energon he absorbed with his lack of coordination and it concerned me even further in regards to his wellbeing. The red aurora and sparking waves that once consumed his frame were gone, replaced by the shakiness, unsteadiness, and instability of someone who was coming down from being overcharged. It was painfully obvious from the shadow of the ship where Scorponok, Megatron, and I stood that he was trying his best not to drop out of the sky unconscious from the energy loss. It was then he landed in beast-mode, stumbling and nearly falling, that Megatron revealed himself to him. He stalked out of the darkness with the air of a predator floating around him.

"Well, well. Look who's _back…" _Megatron's voice was menacing and it hardened with every word, dripping with a silent promise that there would be much hurt in store for Terrorsaur. My spark twisted into a painful knot in my chest again and, for the first time since I could remember, I was scared. Not for myself - I was not the one in an immediate danger of being scrapped - but for _Terrorsaur._

Said scarlet flier turned pale at the sight of Megatron walking towards him. Looking up at the tyrant with dull, glazed optics that reflected raw fear, he clumsily transformed to his robot-mode and stumbled backward. Terrorsaur's poor coordination made his footing fail and he stumbled. He tripped and landed hard on his back, barely managing to not hit his head against the cooled rock of the lava pits our ship had sunken into. Helpless and unable to escape Megatron's wrath, the fear that lanced in Terrorsaur's optics finally convinced me to move.

"_Zztop!"_

Just as our commander drew his beast-mode head back to bash Terrorsaur's head in, I lunged forward and grabbed Megatron's arm as tightly as I could before I yanked back _hard_.

Megatron seemed surprised, he turned to look at me immediately, and I managed to stumble forward and in front of Terrorsaur like some sort of pack animal protecting its ally. I suppose the sense here was the same seeing as I felt _something_ for the red mech. As soon as I had managed to put myself between the two Predacons, I roughly let go of Megatron's arm. Megatron brought his hand back and immediately demanded to know why I was defying him. He screamed at me to get out of the way, ordered me really, but I stood my ground. Stupid little Waspinator had gotten in the way of his leader's plans to possibly terminate one of his own men and I was standing my ground even when our leader demanded I move. Through this, I managed to glare back at our commander with my deep blue optics. Terrorsaur had long since lost awareness behind me, lying somewhat on his side in a fetal position and trembling in the aftermath of the massive overcharge. I continued to look boldly at Megatron regardless, silently daring him to even _try_ getting past me.

Megatron's temperament cooled somewhat. He lowered his fist and gave me the flat warning that Terrorsaur would most definitely be disposed of if the red flier even dared try pulling a stunt like he had again. Megatron gave me a stiffly said order to put Terrorsaur in the CR chamber and the tyrant turned away in a huff, Scorponok trailing behind him. The later of the two grumbled something about Terrorsaur and I being imbecilic fools but, despite the insult, it was something I found I cared very little for. I turned to look at my semiconscious partner and knelt down in front of his lightly shaking form.

I razzed and, unable to find words to address him by, I settled for the thing that came off the top of my head. "Terror-bot idiot."

With that, I hoisted him up. It took some work but I managed to get his left arm slung around my shoulder. I kept my grip on the deadweight flier by wrapping my right arm around his narrow waist. The touch would have looked gentle from an outsider's perspective, but the reality was that my grip was tight to keep him from slipping out of my grasp.

I dragged him to my room for three megacycles as a safety precaution, still uneasy about leaving him in a CR and defenseless. Megatron had seemed to calm down after I intervened with his attempted beating on the red flier but I was wary over the fact Megatron's mood swings were unpredictable. The trudge to my room was not very far - all I had to do was drag him into the base and go for about thirty yards to reach my room in the far back of the quarters hall - and I quickly entered the code for my room and dragged Terrorsaur in. It took sometime to get him on my berth and I sat on the end of it waiting for quite sometime. He groaned in his sleep every so often, but three megacycles passed and I hoisted him up again. It was slightly easier to get him to the command center with the best working CR chambers, but I dumped him in one and left with the hope Megatron wouldn't try anything. Two megacycles passed since then and I had been in the bridge when the lift to the tank began to rise.

When Terrorsaur regained consciousness, I was the first one to see him. The CR chamber platform rose to reveal the slightly shaken pterodactyl with a very prominent hangover - to an extent, I suppose it served him right - and I approached the platform cautiously. Terrorsaur glanced around wearily, trying to get a grip on his surroundings, and he turned to me when I cleared my throat. His head snapped up to look at me but it was when he realized it was me that he turn his head downcast. He had tried to not meet my eyes.

I spoke up. "Terror-bot is welcome."

"For what?" He shifted his head to look up to me, but he quickly stilled the movement. For whatever reason, he looked uncomfortable.

I razzed. "Terror-bot came back when floating mountain exploded. Was overcharged and Megatron went to slag Terror-bot. Wazzpinator stopped him."

Now it seemed I had his full attention. He looked up at me fully, looking between my eyes to continue avoiding my gaze. I stared in between his, though not without noticing the bewildered look shining within his optics. His voice was quiet. "What?"

"Wazzpinator saved Terror-bot from getting his butt kicked by Megatron. Terror-bot is welcome."

He blinked once, twice, and then he looked down and attempted to stand. He was unsteady on his feet at first but he declined help by swatting my hand away when I tried to assist him. He glanced over his shoulder towards the rest of the command center - everyone was at work, though even I noticed Megatron was glancing in our direction every few moments - and Terrorsaur mumbled quietly. "Let's talk this over somewhere more private. Your room is closest I think."

Not that having Terrorsaur in my room bugged me at all but I felt very shy about it having him in there while he was conscious. Predacons were not very sociable to begin with - we were second class citizens under the abusive rule of the first class Maximals after all - and I was very protective of my privacy. Then again, I still didn't know Terrorsaur all too well. There was still a threat that he would sabotage something of mine to maybe make Megatron point his aggressive tendencies in my direction instead of his… I suddenly found that thought to be silly a moment later. My gut told me Terrorsaur wouldn't do that.

Then I pointed out that my room was towards the very back of the quarters hall. This meant mine _his_ was closest. He cursed quietly after I corrected him.

"…Fine. We'll head down to mine. Follow me."

He unsteadily lifted into the air and took off for the passage that lead to the hallway. I took off and followed after him. I noticed Megatron looking out after us until we entered the extra CR hold and past the medical room before we turned and corner and came upon the narrow corridor that had our assigned rooms. We passed the captain quarters flanking Terrorsaur's left - he lead the way while I followed - before we passed Scorponok's on the right and found ourselves in front of his. He entered the code on the access panel just beside the frame, too fast for my eyes to follow, and the door hissed open. He stepped in first and I followed him.

Something inside my spark shuddered. It was an alien feeling, one that made me gasp from the physical sensation it caused, but Terrorsaur seemed to think my sharp intake was from seeing the largeness of his room. "Its just a secondary cabinet quarters. Scorponok turned it down because it didn't have a big enough work station for him. Tarantulus didn't want it either, so I called it."

I could understand why Terrorsaur would have. His room was about a quarter larger than mine with a slightly larger berth by only a few inches in width. A desk sat on the opposite side of the room to face the right wall, but the window that took the space in between was huge. Its height was perhaps about the size of Rattrap, but the length stretched from the end of the berth's headrest to the edge of the desk. It was dark from the fact the sun had set a while back, but the light from the two moons shone through the reinforced space proof glass to cast its luminescence across the two pieces of furniture in a way that lit up the whole room. Terrorsaur cleared his voice and told the lights to activate. They did so immediately.

He walked across the room and sat on his recharge berth, holding his head in his hands and propping his elbows on his knees. It was obvious his headache was getting to him and I stood there stupidly waiting for an invitation to sit down. His voice was a low tenor when he spoke again. "You can take the roller."

"Thankzz," I murmured, crossing the room stiffly and taking a seat in the roller chair by the desk. I turned it around so I could face him.

Then he murmured. "What is it you want?"

"Eh?" I stared at him and blinked at the oddness of the question. It took me a moment to properly assess what he meant, but he cut me off when he presumed that I was stumped by his address.

He didn't look up when he spoke again. He continued to hold his head in his hands and he gently massaged his temples with his digits. "You know what I mean. Preds only do things for people if they want something. If you saved me from Megatron beating the slag out of me for my takeover stunt, then you must obviously want something. What is it?"

I razzed, hurt despite the fact I knew that he was right in regards to the typical on Predacon behavior. Being second class citizens, Predacons like us often had to survive off the streets for a good portion of our lives. None of us in the _Darkside_ save for Megatron - who had become a very successful public speaker and lawyer - and Tarantulus - from only _Primus_ knows where - had a decent living when we joined the crew. Scorponok had been living in a rescue shelter, one of very few that did not discriminate against Predacons, while Dinobot had come from an underground Predacon fighting league. As far as I knew, Terrorsaur had come from the Betacron slurs working as a part time pilot for mechanical shipping and a full time heavy loader for the machines he shipped. Myself… I would rather not talk about it. Not right away at least.

Terrorsaur cleared his throat.

I snapped back to attention and saw that he had lifted his head to look at me. His optics were wary and I quickly spoke up to fill in the silence. "Wazzpinator could see Terror-bot needed help. Wazzpinator was only one there that was willing to give it. Wazzpinator does not want…" I trailed off and thought about it for a moment. Now that I was really thinking it over, I realized the situation _did_ possess potentially useful benefits. "…Maybe Wazzpinator have idea."

He raised an optic ridge. There was a look that flashed in his optics - fear maybe, but I was clueless as to why - before he spoke again. "What?"

I shrugged. "Maybe… maybe we'zz could watch each otherzz back? Wazzpinator could help Terror-bot get out of tight jams if he gets there and Terror-bot can salvage Wazzpinator if he blowzz up?"

He seemed to contemplate me, continuing to not directly meet my gaze, and he laughed dryly a moment later. It lacked humor, yes, but it wasn't an unwelcoming noise. He looked at the ground, shook his head, and then looked back up with a smirk. "I guess we sorta… got off on the wrong hand before. I wouldn't have avoided you so much if I knew you would ask me a favor and do something in return. You'd help me if Megs decided to chew me out?"

Simply chewing him out, admittedly, wouldn't be all Megatron would do to the red flier if the tyrant was angry enough. I just nodded and didn't voice my thoughts however. "As long as Terror-bot helped Wazzpinator to a CR chamber if Wazzpinator could not get there."

His smirk twitched at one corner, though that was it in regards to a reaction. He held his hand out a moment afterward. "Deal. So let's start over… the name's Terrorsaur."

I extended my own hand and grasped his in a firm handshake. "Wazzpinator."

And our hands, oddly enough, stayed interlocked for longer then they should have.

There was a change in the air of sorts, and we both looked into each other's face and accidentally locked eyes. His scarlet ones met mine, burning through me like a laser, before he suddenly let go. As a response, I did as well. We both pulled back in unexplained embarrassment and looked away from one another.

The deafening, wordless moment lasted only a cycle or so before I finally broke it forever.

I reached behind my head and rubbed it tentatively, buzzing nervously and razzing when I spoke. I didn't look at Terrorsaur when I said it, but I imagined he was looking at me with those strangely beautiful eyes that, for reasons beyond me, made my spark flutter in my chest when I thought about it. It was an oddly queer sensation and, to an extent, it bothered my logic circuits and made my emotion chips buzz almost annoyingly. "Zzo… friends?"

The silence was broken. _Everyone_ noticed it.

When we went to start our duties the next morning, seemingly everyone in the control room gawked at our new behavior. We even requested to have the same shift times as one another. Though Terrorsaur didn't try a takeover attempt during the few weeks that followed, I was blown to scrap nearly everyday at some point or another. Surprisingly to me though, he held up on his half of our little deal. He would linger behind after battles when my parts littered the ground like confetti and he'd help pick me up when the coast was clear. He usually didn't wait for me by the CR chambers after the incidents but, as time went on, he would stay around the tubs more and more often to see me when I woke up. Patrols became a breeze and we'd often talk about random slag that came to mind. As time went on, the other Predacons seemed to become used to it and dismissed what we had as a close companionship.

They were right. We _were_ becoming close. The rate of which was very quickly. Neither of us could really take the time to notice because we were still making eye contact and getting lost in one another's eyes.

Even with our 'friendship' taking to the air, we would still meet each other's optics and lock gazes. The frequency at which we did this didn't lessen, but I sometimes still got the notion that they were happening more and more often now. We would be conversing or maybe looking in each other's direction before, suddenly, I would find myself drowning in Terrorsaur's eyes like they were scarlet oceans with rip currents that pulled me deeper into their depths. He would usually break the contact, very often he did, but we said nothing to each other about it. A part of me hoped somewhat these occurrences would stop due to the awkwardness it slammed between us, but they only increased with our friendship. And our friendship was progressing very quickly.

The _Darkside_ computers had detected a stasis pod landing in the northern most part of neutral territory. Megatron, of course, slapped a plan together moments after the pod crashed into the snowy plains. Because Optimus Primal was the only flier in the Maximal group, he would be the fastest in reaching the pod. Terrorsaur and I were sent to the _Axalon_ to take him out before he could leave the base. Once he was down - Megatron emphasized on the word _terminated_, although I knew that he'd probably survive somehow with our already strained luck - my red companion and I would immediately report back to report before leaving to retrieve the pod ourselves. The rest of the Maximals would have to leave on foot, leaving maybe only one other to guard their base. That would be where Megatron, Scorponok, and Tarantulus took it over.

Which was how Terrorsaur and I found ourselves hiding behind a rock just beyond the _Axalon's_ scanning range.

I razzed low, feeling uneasiness get to me. The sun had long since set several megacycles ago - it had also been four weeks since Terrorsaur and I had made our little deal and conjured our companionship - while peppers and crickets dominated the nighttime chorus. A wild cat of sorts roared somewhere in the jungle a little ways away, though the sound hadn't issued forth again since. Our breathing was shallow even though we knew full well the Maximals wouldn't detect us, but old habits have a tendency to die hard. We didn't want risk alerting them to our presence and getting shot at. "Wazzpinator glad he did not become cop. Stakeoutzz are boring."

Terrorsaur snorted next to me, his eyes locked on the ship's still form. "They don't allow Predacons to serve on the force anymore. Not since Proposition sixteen about three stellar cycles ago. It passed the ballot by ninety percent of the vote."

I buzzed and glanced over at him, blinking almost stupidly. I had never really kept up with our planet's politics at anytime in my life, so it never dawned on me that laws would change faster than I could keep up with.

Subsequent to the creation of the Pax Cybertronia - a peace treaty made by the Autobots, signed by them and the defeated Decepticons - the Great Reconfiguration had taken place. The change was made mainly to save energy resources by reducing the size of our kinds' trademark massive bodies, turning Autobots into Maximals and Decepticons into Predacons. The great old Cybertron cities like Iacon and Kale were built over to accommodate our new forms.

Then life turned into a living Pitt for us Predacons.

In spite of to the fact Optimus Prime had specifically put all his time and energy into making the Pax Cybertronia's focus on freedom being the right of all sentient beings, Autobot or Decepticon, Maximal or Predacon, he didn't live long enough to make sure that vision would come to light. The Swarm, a massive cloud of black mass that had been created in some freak lab accident, became a huge threat when it wiped out all the Transformers stationed on Earth by effectively eating them alive. The cloudlike mass immediately began a headlong course for Cybertron and Optimus left the planet in an attempt to stop it. Opening the Matrix ended up being the only solution, but the resulting light hitting the pure darkness of the Swarm's life source caused a massive explosion.

It became known as the day Optimus Prime died to save Cybertron. It was also the day any hope for the Predacon faction died as well.

The Pax Cybertronia, ironically, was purposely misinterpreted by the Maximal government. Freedom being the right of all sentient beings was still written in the Pax Cybertronia, true, but an amendment added onto it without Predacon citizen consent stated that 'freedom' was what laws didn't prohibit. It was a dirty move on the Maximal Elders' part but, then again, they could do whatever the Pitt they wanted to now. All because Optimus had saved all of Cybertron, the minority second class had to suffer as a consequence.

There were seven Maximal Elders in total, each representing one of the seven major cities of Cybertron, but many Predacons were upset over the fact their rights were on the verge of being stripped because of their ancestry. It was how the Tripredicus Council was created. Not that they were any help to the Predacon population of course. They didn't do anything to intervene with the bigoted and racist laws that started to pass. From the last I had kept track, Predacon and Maximal sparklings were segregated in schools.

In other words, politics sucked if you were a Pred. "Predaconzz not be police anymore?"

"Nope." My partner shook his head and looked his gun over. He checked the energy reserves for what had to be the millionth time within the past ten cycles. He was either very bored or very nervous. I could not tell which and he was talking again before I could determine. "It wouldn't have been such a landslide election if more of the Predacons had voted. There was even a criminal investigation involving a Maximal power group threatening Predacons who tried to vote 'no' on the proposition. It didn't go very far because it was disregarded by the Elders."

I made a low hiss in the back of my throat. "Optimuzz would've been upset. Prime-bot would've never allowed thizz to happen to us."

"Maybe," Terrorsaur drawled. He straightened out and his voice dropped to a harsh whisper. "Look."

I did. Standing on the _Axalon's_ half lowered entry platform was Dinobot, hunched down low and scanning the landscape with a hard expression. I cursed softly, feeling stupid for not thinking that the Predacon tratior would be suspicious of the all too silent landscape. I held my breath and Terrorsaur did as well. After several tense moments, the ex-Predacon's eyes flashed a dark red before the lift began to rise back up into the base. After the hiss of the lift's mechanisms silenced, peepers and crickets resumed their night song without further interruption.

I muttered. "Megatron wantzz to restart Great War so we can get our freedom back… But what happen if we'zz loose?"

Terrorsaur sighed. "We go extinct."

There was movement from the _Axalon's_ lift again and Dinobot was still on it. This time though, Optimus Primal was with him. The platform lowered to the ground completely and the ape took off into the air. Gripping our guns in a death hold, my partner and I tensed immediately just as Optimus turned so he could address Dinobot. His back was facing us.

Terrorsaur hissed. _"Now."_

We both fired, but the sounds of our guns going off did nothing to alert Optimus to our presence. My gun had a faster projectile speed than Terrorsaur's and, surprisingly, I hit my target head-on. Optimus cried out and Dinobot shouted something about an ambush. By another stroke of luck, I shot his rotator shield out of his hands.

"Oooooh!" I ducked back down behind the rock, my optics alit with enthusiasm, and Terrorsaur looked over at me with equally lit optics. I grinned and slapped my gun to my chest. "Wazzpinator got him!"

My partner screeched, letting a grin nearly cut his face in half. "Watch _this!_"

His expression suddenly darkened, his optics narrowing, and his shoulder mounted cannons unfolded to snap into a ready position. The mechanisms inside whirred and my partner stood. I was afraid he'd get shot by Dinobot due to the fact he had exposed himself - Dinobot saw him and dropped into a fighting stance just then - but my partner shot out a pair of twin blasts at Primal. The Maximal leader seemed to recover from being stunned courteous of me, but he was hit square in the chest a moment later. The gorilla mech was blown back with a serious wound decorating his chest. He still lived I was sure, but if we could hit him again…

Terrorsaur squawked, ducking back down and grinning. "Yes!"

I razzed. "Good shot, Terror-bot!"

Dinobot finally shot back.

There was a flash of green and an explosion over my head. Dinobot had shot the cliff face my wingmate I had flanking our right but there was only a small explosion. Off guard and thinking the attack was poorly calculated, I looked away just before I heard rock rubbing against rock. I looked back up at the cliff again to see Dinobot hadn't missed his intended target at all. He had been aiming for a large boulder up there in an attempt to take the both of us out. I was unlucky enough to be right underneath the damn thing.

I had no time to move before the mass slammed down onto me. Pain ripped across my now crushed body and I blacked out for two clicks.

I regained consciousness when the sound of an explosion woke me up. My sight cleared and I saw debris from the boulder raining down on me. My audios rang from the gunshot that made it explode but, either way, at least I wasn't stuck underneath it anymore. Terrorsaur had shot it to get it off me I supposed, but that was something that caught me off guard. When I was usually scrapped, Terrorsaur would retreat and wait until the coast was clear before retrieving me.

My thoughts were broken when I suddenly suffered from an energon surge. My field dampeners had been damaged and I could not withstand the energon radiation in the area anymore. With the crackling of blue electricity dancing around my frame, I struggled to move. "Oh no, Wazzpinator in trouble…"

Terrorsaur appeared over me, his optics like the stars that shined in the black sky overhead. He sounded oddly breathless, almost as if he had been scared over something and was getting over it. "We did our job, now let's go! Back to base!" He extended his hand to me, the same one I shook with him when we reintroduced ourselves to reignite our partnership. I reached out in an almost dreamlike state to grab a hold of his wrist. He grabbed mine in a vice hold as a response before glancing up over the cover we had taken. He ducked back down and braced his legs before upping the power of his antigravs so they maxed out. He pushed off the ground and leapt into the air with a screech.

"Cowards! _Face me!"_ Dinobot's battle cry didn't fall on deaf ears and Terrorsaur had to zip out of the way of the raptor's laser fire. I razzed, gripping to my partner for dear life and still sparking from my injuries. In spite of Dinobot's furious laser fire, we managed to get out of range of the _Axalon_ a few moments later. The nighttime song of peepers and crickets was replaced by cold evening wind rushing past our bodies.

Terrorsaur was panting, but he still had enough resolve to look down at me. "You okay?"

"Wazzpinator fine," I said. I winced from my injuries but I felt confident I wouldn't have to be in the CR for more than a few cycles to repair them. I watched the ground rush by beneath us before looking back up towards my friend. "Why did Terror-bot do that?"

"Do what?" He sounded distracted. He was looking up and away from me now.

I razzed in response. "Terror-bot came back for Wazzpinator before fight was over. Why Terror-bot do that?"

He didn't respond right away. I was tempted to press for the information I wanted, but there was an odd look in his upturned face that made my question catch in my throat. His face was serene in the moonlight, paler than usual, but his optics were enhanced by this tenfold. The white of his face outlining them made his eyes look to be an even more brilliant scarlet than the rest of his armor. Either way, he responded back to me after sometime. "…I, uh, need you for part two of the mission. No way in the Pitt I'll go alone and risk getting outnumbered by the Maximals if they show at the last cycle. And, um, it would be too risky to retrieve you later."

"But we'zz didn't destroy Ape-bot," I countered. There was no way the Maximal leader had been destroyed from the damage we did to him so Megatron, I figured, would be very upset over this failure.

He snorted. "He can go to the Pitt for all I care. You alright?"

I reminded him that he had already asked me. He cursed softly and turned away, not speaking to me until we returned back to the base.

Terrorsaur's new behavior had me puzzled. Not only had he asked if I was okay once, but he had done so _twice_. The thought was alien to me since no one ever honestly seemed to care about my wellbeing before. There was only one other that had, but my mother had been dead for a very long time. Then the fact Terrorsaur risked his own hide to retrieve me during a battle… It left me mildly disgruntled that I could not come to a conclusion regarding his abrupt change in demeanor. _That_, and the fact that I had not realized how pure of a scarlet his eyes were until now.

Upon returning to the base, I spoke again. "Thank you."

Terrorsaur didn't look at me. He slung my arm over his shoulder so I could walk with assistance into the base. I could not see his face in the dark all too well, but his eyes glowed like stars. "You're welcome."

I sat in the CR tank for three cycles before we went into the control center to report back. Tarantulus and Scorponok stood on hover pads positioned beside Megatron from an angle, and Terrorsaur and I jumped onto hover pads of our own. We brought them in front of Megatron and my scarlet partner reported back. I still had minor dents in my armor from not staying in the CR long enough to do a complete patch up and Terrorsaur was still panting from bringing me back. His voice was a collected tenor, but the tone wavered just enough to let me know he was nervous. It was something only I seemed to pick up on of course, but I felt oddly concerned over my friend's being. Protectively so, actually.

"…We hit him pretty hard, but Dinobot kept us from killing him because he knocked a boulder onto Waspinator. I had to retrieve him but we were still in danger of being overrun. We had to make a tactical retreat."

"So, Optimus Primal was not destroyed," Megatron said slowly. He had seemed surprised when my partner mentioned saving me during the fight - the way the tyrant's mauve optics lit up was an immediate indication of this - but he recovered his usual mask of composure just as quickly. He leaned back in his throne. "You disappoint me Terrorsaur, _yes."_

"But, we… we knocked him half to scrap!" Terrorsaur's voice stuttered ever so slightly and I could tell he was getting very fidgedy. He blinked and his voice rose to cover his mild panic. "No _way_ he'll be flying anywhere!"

Megatron looked ready to interject, his face annoyed and his mouth twisting into an ugly frown, but I cut in before the tyrant could fit anything in. Terrorsaur had turned to look at me too, looking for my support, but I entered my input quickly. "Yes! We will beat them to the stasis pod _eazzily!_"

Megatron dropped the subject regarding our failure but he ordered us to carry out our second task… Going to the crash site of the pod to ensure the robot inside was reprogrammed into a Predacon. The thought of trying to reprogram a protoform miffed me, but Terrorsaur seemingly read my mind and spoke to me about it when we got outside the _Darkside_ to fly north. "It can't be too hard," he said when we gained altitude and felt the air grow steadily colder. "Tarantulus loaned me one of his prototype chips. All we have to do is slip the thing into the programmer dock and take out the Maximal one out before the pod scans for a beast-mode."

"What if Maximals beat us to the pod?" I inclined my head to look at him.

He seemed to shrug it off. "We fly faster than they can run."

But, of course, this claim was somehow jinxed. We had reached the pod first like Terrorsaur said we would - the both of us ended up finding the Maximals at one point trying to cross a natural bridge as a shortcut to the pod, though my partner and I dealt with them by destroying their only means across the icy ravine - but the hatch was smashed in from the crash. My wingmate had tried to open the lid while I zapped at the seam with my optical lasers. The stasis pod seemed comatose but there would be no telling if it survived the crash or not unless we could get it open. Our first priority was to make sure the protoform was still alive since it would be wasteful to attempt reprogramming a dead being.

In the amount of time it took us to nearly get it open, the Maximals showed up.

Megatron had followed suit thankfully, putting the odds in Predacon favor once more, but the tide turned when our leader attempted to make the Maximals back off by leveling his dinosaur head cannon at two Siberian tigers nearby. The Maxis did back off, yes, but they did so only just long enough for Terrorsaur and I to open the pod and find it empty. The protoform had upped and left, already being a Maximal, and one of the two tigers abruptly transformed and attacked.

In hindsight, we got our skid plates handed to us on a silver platter. Our first pod hunting expedition came to an abrupt end and, to say the least, it was far from pleasant.

As soon as Megatron, Terrorsaur, and I returned to the base, the first thing my wingmate and I did was to sit on one of the overheads of the deck overlooking the lava pits below. The heat that rose from the liquid fire was welcoming in comparison to the bitter cold we had to endure for over a megacycle, so sitting by that warmth was the only part of the day I thought satisfying. Though Scorponok and Tarantulus had long since submerged themselves into CR chambers - according to Megatron, the expedition our leader lead against the Maximal base went wary just nearly as soon as it started - it left only the tyrant with Terrorsaur and me in the control center. Megatron didn't seem to be minding my partner and me though. We were to ourselves at the moment.

An aspect of our relationship that came out was that we were… being physical now.

Terrorsaur lazily leaned up against me while my arm draped over his shoulders in a comforting gesture. The whole while, the scarlet mech shivered violently from the cold invading his rather ironically cold-blooded frame. Even though my own body was more accustomed to warmer weather as well, my beast-mode could at least adapt and survive in harsh conditions. Terrorsaur's, on the other hand, could not. His pterodactyl beast-mode was extinct for a reason after all. The warmth from the lava rose upward and encased us in its heat while our feet dangled over the edge of the deck.

"That could have gone better," Terrorsaur muttered in an offhand tone.

I nodded and shuddered slightly. "At least Wazzpinator not get blown up this time. Terror-bot and Wazzpinator not have to spend more time in freezing hellhole."

He laughed, a harsh and dry sound from his rattling frame, and we sat there together for a long time. After that and as more time went on, we got even closer. Predacons usually were not ones for physical contact but we went as far as to occasionally set a hand on the other's shoulder from time to time. There would be friendly nudges and playful punches in the upper arm too, but there was still one thing that always stood out from the rest. There would be times during fights that I would go down but, before waiting for the fight to end or for the coast to clear, Terrorsaur would dive after me to get me out of harms way. His excuse for the change in style was because I was his friend and that going at the end of a fight would be too risky. Something in the back of my head screamed this was only half true. I wanted to ask him what on Cybertron he could possibly want to hide but I was afraid he'd think me annoying or inconsistently stupid. Either way, I never really got the chance.

We kept making eye contact. These times it was more intense than ever.

If it wasn't queer enough before, it certainly was now. We could be making fun of Cheetor or Scorponok for all we cared but then one of us would avert our gaze just enough that we would lock gazes. It was when our eyes would met that we would go silent, but it was also Terrorsaur that would tear his optics away first. Trying to reconstruct our conversation after these frequent occurrences was futile at most and new subject would emerge in an attempt to ignore the awkwardness of our unannounced competitions. It wasn't as if this mattered though, we would meet gazes once more later on no matter how hard we tried to avoid it.

Our silence was broken, but something else wanted to be broken as well. Something _far_ deeper. It was something that I wanted to ask Terrorsaur about in regards to why we kept staring into one another's optics the way we did, but I thought it would be as equally dumb a question as to why he was suddenly more determined about saving my sorry hide when I was scrapped. I would have, but then Terrorsaur broke. Quite literally speaking, actually.

While I was seemingly the Maximals' favorite target for fights, I only usually lost a limb once every week or so. I could easily salvage it later and reattach it with Terrorsaur's help on occasion, but I hadn't yet suffered being blasted apart all at once. That was what happened to Terrorsaur when another stasis pod crashed down in the desert wastelands of our southern territory. The pod had come down quickly, rapidly descending through the atmosphere like a meteor - though, in hindsight, this comparison wasn't too far off - and Megatron had sent Scorponok and our new recruit, Blackarachnia, to retrieve it while putting my partner and me on standby. The tyrant had opted to keep Tarantulus at the base for reasons I could easily understand. No one wanted another potential Blackarachnia in our ranks. Considering the way Tarantulus programmed the widow's protoform, it was only a matter of whether he got his hands on another pod to do it again.

Of course, both Blackarachnia and Scorponok became indisposed of rather quickly. In other words, it was time to bring in the flyboys.

Terrorsaur and I veered off course from trying to form a perimeter around the crash site towards the epicenter of the sector. Megatron had contacted us moments before and filled us in that he had received twin distress signals from Blackarachnia and Scorponok. As soon as we entered the main drop zone, I flew ahead to see where the stasis pod was. A blast nicked me from behind before I could get far enough to even see it though. Cheetor had been hidden well in the dusty landscape and I would have never seen him if he hadn't shot at me. Terrorsaur spotted the freckled Maximal and he opened fire just as I did. The cat shifted to beast-mode when he apparently suffered an energon surge and he ran off, darting in and out among the tall canyon rocks.

Terrorsaur flew up to me and punched me in the arm. I looked to him with a questioning look and, just barely averting my gaze so we wouldn't lock optics, he made a gesture for me to go ahead so he could cut the cat off on the other side. I nodded back and went back to firing at the cheetah when Terrorsaur swerved away from me. I was in pursuit of the Maximal cat for another few cycles before he leapt over an energon geyser. I thought nothing of it - it didn't look immediately active at first glance - but then it erupted as soon as I was directly over it. Whether it was bad luck or just horrid timing was beyond me. I was unconscious from the energon surge clicks later. I regained consciousness half a cycle afterward upon hearing a loud screech that didn't sound like it belonged to Terrorsaur.

I groaned and sat up from where I was laying in the ground, glancing about wearily in an attempt to get a grip on my surroundings. My vision turned to static from the energon radiation and the still lingering surges forced me to transform. The pain of the exposure wasn't what had awoken me however. The screech of an eagle had.

Then there was another. This time louder and followed by a whoosh that carried across the landscape like a voice would echo in a cave. My radio was temporarily down - my online diagnostics told me it would reactivate in two or three cycles at most - and Terrorsaur wasn't anywhere in immediate sight. I took off into the air and flew towards the sound. My radar blipped to life telling me that the stasis pod was in the immediate area and I looked down to see the pod.

Terrorsaur stood there beside the shell, his face conflicted, while Rhinox seemed to be facing him down. "Still feeling lucky, Terrorsaur?"

My mind was wracked when I saw the pod was empty. With Rhinox's question directed towards my partner and the empty pod beside him, I came to the conclusion that the protoform hadn't been reprogrammed into a Predacon. Terrorsaur had arrived at the pod too late and, on another note altogether, had never seen the oversized falcon's shadow cast itself over him until it was too late.

The brown and tan feathered hawk, sporting a pair of calculating gold eyes, dive bombed my partner from behind and hooked her talons into his shoulders. Taken by surprise, Terrorsaur dropped his pistol and squawked just as the female launched into the air with him. He grunted and tried reaching up to grab her legs, but he could not move his arms high enough to find purchase. I stared in silent terror as the new Maximal flew towards a canyon face and, before I could scream out for Terrorsaur to get his attention, she let go and sent him smashing into the wall. Terrorsaur had seen it at the last possible click of course, but he didn't have enough time to react. The female took off into the air over the canyon edge and Terrorsaur crashed to the ground. He stood a moment later, shaking his head to clear his scrambled senses, before he screeched furiously. His cannons unfolded themselves from their subspaces, he turned sharply on his heel, and he took off after her with his guns blazing.

For the first few clicks of the fight, it was more of a chase. The femme dodged blasts my wingmate shot, flying behind several of the tall rocks that jutted from the ground to avoid getting hit, but Terrorsaur became more and more determined the more he missed. The eagle flittered behind another rock but, this time, Terrorsaur's aim was accurate enough to cause damage. He hadn't hit her directly but the pulse blast Terrorsaur fired hit the rock she dived behind. Rubble from the exploding stone hit her - she screeched in pain when this happened - and a triumphant smirk crossed Terrorsaur's features. Her edge lost, the femme flew into the air and gave another cry before diving down towards the ground again. The speed was too fast for me to follow her movements and, the way Terrorsaur stopped in midair where the female had been moments before, it appeared as if he had lost her too. He snapped his head back in forth trying to locate her, slightly flustered, before he looked upward slightly and gasped. I followed his gaze.

The hawk flew down, her figure obscured by the setting sun, and her voice reached my audios. "Airrazor… _Maximize!"_

In a disgusting use of human terms, the slag hit the fan.

Her body shifted and transformed, revealing her small and almost lithe body, and she propelled herself straight for Terrorsaur. Flying some distance away, I watched as Terrorsaur's own body launched itself at the femme. It looked as though they were playing chicken, but neither looked as though they were willing to back out. With a crash, they collided with one another and went into a spiraling freefall that I clocked to be ninety seven miles a megacycle. I watched horrorstruck as they fell towards the ground at an increasing velocity, both trying to more or less strangle each other before Terrorsaur suddenly shoved her off. It dawned on me that he could have crashed into the ground with her on the bottom, killing her instantly - he had the physical strength to pull it off - but he didn't. It caught me off guard that he wouldn't use such an obvious advantage.

They both swooped away from one another, Terrorsaur noticeably less gracefully than the hawk Maximal. Both were around a hundred feet from the canyon floor, putting maybe ten feet away from one another while they faced their opposing rival. Terrorsaur's cannons were still drawn, giving him an edge right away, and he fired twice. Airrazor ended up being too graceful, dodging every one of his blasts before whipping about and aiming her arm at him. A compartment above her wrist flipped open and she fired her own pulse blast. Her aim was dead accurate and Terrorsaur had no time to avoid it. The shot hit him square in the chest, blasting off his left shoulder cannon in the process, and the whiplash made him turn to her midair.

As soon as I saw his back turned, I knew what was going to happen. You _never_ turn your back on an opponent and, as a response to seeing what was about to happen, my spark dropped.

He wasn't able to regain his scrambled senses in time and she blasted him in the back again before he could turn to face the damned femme flier. The shot sent him spiraling towards the ground and, to my horror, she open fired again with another set of weapons. Females with wrist mounted automatic missile darts, I decided then, were a very bad thing. _Especially_ when Terrorsaur ended up getting hit by the shots with full force.

I had dealt with having parts blasted off me during a fight, but to see Terrorsaur become completely disassembled was horrifying. It had been frightening to see Megatron blown apart in a similar way when Terrorsaur attempted to take over the Predacons, but it was so much more awful for me seeing it happen to my partner. He literally fell apart and his scream was the loudest I had ever heard since I met him. One of Airrazor's shots went astray and it struck him in the back of the head, blasting it clear off his shoulders. His shriek had been instantly silenced and his battered parts smashed into the dusty ground with, to me, earsplitting thuds. The last component of his to hit the ground was his head.

I don't think Terrorsaur's scream, however, was nearly as loud as mine.

I supposed I was in shock at first, but then there was a glass shattering shriek that nearly made my own audios implode on themselves. It took me a moment to realize it was me, but I could not find myself lingering on the agonized scream I made. The sound of my deafening shriek of fear was swallowed up but the cliffs and gorges - Airrazor had long since gone back to Rhinox without seemingly hearing a thing - but I found that I did not care. I flew down towards my comrade's remains at a speed I could not keep tabs on and landed clumsily. I stumbled on all six of my beast-mode's legs before hastily transforming among the debris, calling for any help on my open Predacon frequency. I was frustrated and panicked when I didn't get an immediate response but it dawned on me that Blackarachnia and Scorponok wouldn't come to help unless the Maximals cleared out. They had sent a distress signal after all, so it was obvious I was on my own.

When I spoke into the radio though, my voice trembled. After I first noticed it, it shook even more and I shuddered all over. I was scared.

With a hiss, I deactivated the radio and felt frustrated tears build up behind my eyes. My wingmate was down, possibly dead if I didn't salvage him, and no one was answering my hails. I had every damn right to be upset since it was my only friend that was shot. I'd be on my own if he died. I knew I'd never be able to live with that if it happened, so I whipped my head around to try locating his torso. If his spark was still online, it would be there. If it wasn't…

No. I didn't want to think about that.

I turned on my heel and scanned the area, desperately trying to pick out the red and maroon speckled torso that belonged to my dismantled partner. I found it, seeing the dark black burn where Airrazor's firepower had damaged him, and I went running. I could not keep track of my own movements but perhaps I had been sprinting. I don't know and probably never will. All that mattered was my racing thoughts. He had to be alive. He _needed_ to be. I dropped down on my knees beside the battered looking piece of my friend's body and I dipped my fingers underneath the plating. In any other situation however, it would have been borderline rape for me to do so. One's chest plate was the housing for one's spark, but the situation was too dire for me to hesitate. _He had to live. _

Looking at the shape of the littered body parts around me, I thought all I was going to get was a mangled interior and a wet pool of energon with no spark in sight.

But I _did_ find it.

The glow from Terrorsaur's chest when I forced the plate open was dim, but it was there. The silverish sparking sphere of light and everything that was the essence of Terrorsaur pulsed weak with stun. Nevertheless, it still beat its steady rhythm. The spark for the most part was white but I saw specks of red flittering around the atom like center. Had he not been in shock and not in thirty different parts littered about the dusty earth, it dawned on me that his spark would have been a starry scarlet. Regardless, he was alive.

I tore my optics away from Terrorsaur's literal soul and gently closed his beaten chest plates. Making sure to strain my scanners so that they could keep tabs on his life functions, I stood and began to collect his parts as quickly as I could bring myself to. I dragged the components over to his broken upper body and, after a long list of items had been collected, I finally brought myself to retrieve his head. Terrorsaur's face was frozen in a silent, pain ridden scream that was near unbearable to look at on my part. I froze at the sheer agony plastered on my decapitated ally's expression but I forced myself to recover. After a moment of contemplating the pained features, I gently held Terrorsaur's head in my left hand while I very carefully used my other one to ease his jaw closed. The horrified and pained air that resided in the crimson flier's face was ease almost immediately despite the fact his expression remained as tense as before.

I caressed my scarlet star's pale cheek and the crest on his forehead lightly with my thumb and index finger. This was the first time I referred to Terrorsaur in this sense, nor was it the last.

I walked my friend's head back to his torso before retrieving the rest of the parts and setting them down. Recollecting his pieces had taken shorter than I thought it would - maybe somewhere under fifteen cycles, maybe slightly more - and I did a quick sweep to make sure I hadn't forgotten something important before returning to my partner's side. There would be no way in the Pitt that I could put him back together myself - I'd probably screw something up if I tried, and I didn't wasn't willing to risk any further harm onto my wingmate - so I shifted to beast-mode and stood protectively over the prone, mangled body like a watch dog. My wings and antenna went erect and I kept my scanners focused solely on Terrorsaur. His spark was still under stress so, with a determined sense of hope, I put all my focus into making sure he would survive for awhile longer. I prayed one of the others would show to help reassemble him so we could transport him back to the _Darkside._

I was still scared for him, yes, so I put all of my attention in making sure nothing could hurt him anymore than the day already had. I had been so focused on him that, ten cycles later, I never heard Scorponok arrive.

Blackarachnia had been missing at the time - something that I knew would bother Megatron greatly - when the Predacon mechanic approached me from behind. The sun had been continuing its descent into the horizon, dipping behind the towering pillars of stone so they cast long, crooked shadows across the landscape. That was when Scorponok made a slight noise. I had not realized someone was behind me and, instantly, I whipped around to retaliate. A mental image of Airrazor popped to mind, making blind, pure _hate_ rip through my systems when I viciously snarled at Scorponok. My beast-mode's muzzle twisted into a menacing grimace, my blue eyes turned to narrow slits, my mandibles went open in a deadly manner, and my stinger and wings went erect. The way I was crouched down over Terrorsaur's body, razzing and sneering, I would not have been surprised if someone mistook me for a feral animal protecting something valuable.

That "something" was Terrorsaur.

Scorponok let out a frightened shriek at my reaction, stumbling backwards on his beast-mode's legs. I hastily recovered realizing that I had snapped at him. I quickly made myself drop into a less menacing stance, feeling mixed emotions of relief, thankfulness of receiving assistance, and frustration that no one had come sooner replace the hate. I trembled slightly from the adrenaline rush I had prior and I could still see Airrazor's image flashing in every corner of my sight. Needless to say, I was sure I would loathe her for the rest of my life.

I hated her for hurting my scarlet star. Thinking about Terrorsaur in that sense still caught me by surprise but, disturbingly enough, it felt more natural this time. I was somewhat bothered by it.

Scorponok wasn't a medic but he didn't need to be told twice about what needed to be done. He got to work right away, reattaching the mangled limbs back to Terrorsaur's immobile torso. He had me watch Terrorsaur's vitals, namely those regarding the stability of his spark while he repaired him. Although Scorponok pretty much hated Terrorsaur to the Pitt and back, Megatron's second was seemingly too engrossed in his emergency repairs to care.

My show of aggression earlier had scared any thoughts of abandoning Terrorsaur well out of his head. That I was fine with, but the fact I reacted the way I had still disturbed me to an extent.

Scorponok mumbling about Terrorsaur's body miraculously not having energon surges broke me from my thoughts sometime later. He was doing the last of the repairs and I watched him as he delicately wired Terrorsaur's head back into place. These wouldn't even be _close_ to all the necessary patch ups Terrorsaur would need of course. All the nasty burns around his back torso assured of that but at least his body being stable again would hopefully assist his spark in not burning itself out… _hopefully_. Terrorsaur would be _agony_ if he regained consciousness seeing as there were still internal damages that needed to be assessed. For one thing, his neck gears would need to be repaired - by organic standards, it was the equivalent of broken - his limb joints would need to be carefully rewired and, if the pain was great enough already, it would stress Terrorsaur's spark back to the point of exhaustion, straining itself to a dangerous level once more.

The sun was almost completely down and only half a megacycle had passed since Scorponok arrived. Terrorsaur's head was almost entirely rewired so the mech's core processor could begin allowing his body to do minor self repairs. As soon as his head was completely back in place, he was thrown back into the world of consciousness.

Terrorsaur let out a scream of bloody murder.

Scorponok fell back on his aft in surprise and I was instantly shushing and coaxing Terrorsaur, stroking one of the scarlet flier's pale cheeks and the crest on his forehead. His scream wasn't nearly as loud as it had been when he was gunned down but it still held an almost hysteric air to it. The pain was there, yes, but there was also a sharp fear that went with it. As gently as I could, my spark beating in my chest erratically from a renewed sense of adrenaline, I tried to cradle his form against me. He shrieked, trying to get away from me, and it came to my mind that he was completely out of his loop delusional. He needed to get to a CR chamber _immediately_.

Scorponok pulled himself back up to further asses the now abruptly conscious pterodactyl but, by the time the scorpion was back on his feet, I had already hoisted Terrorsaur up my arms. I hadn't even realized I had done so until I felt my partner cling to me blindly. His entire form was shaking was and I cradled him against my chest like he was a sparkling. I had ordered Scorponok to look around for more of the red mech's parts, afraid that maybe I had forgotten something important, but then I did something I hadn't expected myself to do.

"Thank you."

I was sure Scorponok wasn't able to hear me over Terrorsaur's agonized shrieks, but the mechanic seemed to understand what it was I was saying. He nodded curtly, not putting too much of an effort into it, before he shifted to beast-mode. Scorponok had looked somewhat shocked at being ordered to do something by _me,_ but he got to work looking for extra bits of the Predacon all the same. I'll presume it had to do with me snarling at him. Before I could see him scurry off, I had taken to the air flying towards the _Darkside_ at a speed I thought not physically possible.

With the added roar of the wind rushing past my audios, Terrorsaur's screams kept myself from thinking. Trying to ease his obvious discomfort was near impossible considering the velocity we were going, and the fact I could not speak to him without hearing what I was saying. The sun glinted off our forms, making Terrorsaur's face look less pale than it was, but his scarlet hide was still brilliant. This was only if you ignored the hideous laser burn marks on his frame but I found myself drawn to his eyes instead. They were snapped closed while his face contorted from pain and, with a strange sense of calm, it dawned came to me that his optics were probably the same color of his spark.

Terrorsaur suddenly sobbed.

I was caught off guard by it and I stopped murmuring to him in an attempt to grip at the reality of what I'd just heard. He mewled, moisture building up underneath his optical lids, and he cried. Thin tears streamed down his scuffed features and he turned his head to bury it in my chest. He still kept screaming but I heard him bawl all the same. I was momentarily terrified that I had hurt him further - I was horrified to see his neck loll the way it had when he turned his head to face my chest - but then he gripped my shoulders hard enough to cause dents. "Oh Primus, don't let me fall, don't let me fall, _don't let_-"

He kept sobbing and all I could do was hold him. I kept cooing back at him, telling him that he was alright and that everything would be fine over and over, but it was then I learned three things very important about Terrorsaur. One was that my partner was afraid of heights. The way he broke away from Airrazor mid fall was a giveaway, and the way he was bawling against me while I flew back to the _Darkside_ was another signal. Two was that it _was_ physically possible for my partner to be afraid of something and to actually wield the ability to shed tears. The crimson flier - a now ex-Seeker at that - had always come across to me as bring near invincible. He certainly was no coward - his attempted takeover of the Predacons supported this fact - and I always saw him as being stronger than I could ever dream to be. He had as much skill as he did suave, so imagining someone like him tearing up over _anything_ was an imagination I could not bring myself to envision.

Thirdly? I was disturbed by the fact I enjoyed having him this close to me. I would have enjoyed it more if he wasn't hurt and writhing in agony. The thought being in this close of a proximity to him made my spark do flips in my chest. I was bothered by it greatly.

His shrieks lessened in volume for a moment and he seemed to almost listen to me. I forced my thoughts aside and continued to hold him close, telling him everything would be fine and that I wouldn't let anything happen to him again. Never.

Though the southern sector was usually a half megacycle away from the _Darkside_, it took me no more than seven cycles to reach the base at the speed I was going. I was sure anyone in dark shuttle would be able to hear Terrorsaur almost a mile outside the ship but I found myself caring about them very little. The sun had long since set, painting the sky a deep vermillion and dark blue black. I was too busy to bother looking for any red stars in the sky. The only star I cared about at the moment was the scarlet one in my arms. I was exhausted but my speed never lessened in intensity. Terrorsaur's perfect face was contorted in a twisted combination of searing pain and fear from his apparent phobia of heights. Even though he could not see through his closed eyes, I knew he was still afraid of falling. The pterodactyl Transformer kept sobbing and clutching to me like he was going to fall and hit the ground below. He still thought he was going to strike the ground the way he did when Airrazor shot him down.

I was going to make that wrenched femme pay for this. I was going make her fall just like she had done to Terrorsaur. I would kill her too.

Through Terrorsaur's deliriousness and screeching, I was still talking through it, whispering comfortingly back to the other mech in a blind attempt to calm him. It would seem like Terrorsaur wasn't listening but, the way he tried to relax his body for succinct moments, it seemed as though he desperately was.

I entered the _Darkside_ and I could see Megatron's form on his throne out of the corner of my vision. I paid him no heed. Terrorsaur was my main concern now. I would deal with the punishment for the failure of our mission later when my partner was in the tank. Terrorsaur's stiff form trembled and he screamed again just as I kicked the button on the side of the chamber with a forceful blow, causing the CR platform to rise. Once it was fully up, I jumped on to let myself and Terrorsaur sink into the replenishing liquid when the lift began to descend again. Terrorsaur's loud screams were reduced to nothing more than a gasp and choked sobs as soon as the warm fluid came in contact with his body. He clutched me tightly and he became silent by the time the fluid had engulfed him completely. My audios still rang but I continued to hold him in my arms. His expression went from agonized and contorted to dazed and almost peaceful. I held him close to the surface of the CR gel to watch his face.

Though now dull due to his offlining systems, his optics were still scarlet stars. I was surprised at how _right_ it felt calling him that.

"Scarlet star," I murmured, though he didn't seem to really notice. His eyes went dark and his head began to roll back. Recharge had claimed him and I reached a hand to cup the back of his head so he would not injure it further. I kneeled down and set him at the bottom of the tank before standing back up again. I looked down at his prone form lying at the bottom of the pool, feeling a small bit of reluctance to leave poke at me, before I forcibly shrugged it off and clambered out of the restoration chamber. I dropped down beside it and looked up in Megatron's direction.

I had been expecting a retaliation of some kind, though I was pleasantly - and not so much so - surprised to not receive it. Instead, Megatron stared at me in silence as if he we noting everything I did in great detail. Little details, maybe, though I wasn't sure. We were silent, staring at one another before it became too much for me to handle. I turned and left, fearing a retribution that surprisingly never came. I wasn't questioned as I left the room but I was watched closely. It wasn't as if I cared however. I was glad Terrorsaur was safe. I turned in for the night and was unconscious before I even hit my berth. The last thing to cross my mind was Terrorsaur.

It had been two days since Terrorsaur was inserted into the CR pool and the repairs were slow going. I presumed this was because of the sheer amount of shock he went through, but I'm not much of a doctor or medic to know for sure. I was nearly always by that damned CR tub, constantly watching the reading percent of the progress he made in recovery whenever I wasn't watching his occasionally shifting form at the bottom of the tank. _Almost. _Considering I was now the only flier working at full capacity, I had taken up both Terrorsaur's tasks alongside my own. I didn't mind the longer fly patrol as much as the excruciatingly long monitor duties however. I never wanted to leave Terrorsaur for longer than I had to.

I went on an extended patrol that morning. It was one that stuck to my memory very clearly because it involved the first time I tried to engage Airrazor for revenge.

I had perched in a tree, resting from flying, and my thoughts had wandered back to Terrorsaur for perhaps the millionth time during that one patrol when I saw Tigertron's white framed hide run by. In the cover of the tree branches, I watched as he galloped past and I was snapped from my thoughts. Engaging him seemed like a good idea at the time - it would hopefully clear my head of any thoughts regarding my down wingmate - so I took off after the cat, not tailgating the feline so much as to loose my element of surprise. Tigertron seemed too caught up in where he was going to notice my rather loud buzzing behind him. Tarantulus came up with a saying once, being that cats seemingly never get tired of being stupid. It seemed to fit the current situation the Maximal was getting himself into. I called out my transformation code, still keeping my element of surprise for the ambush I had in store, before drew my gun. I aimed and fired. I missed ironically - my aim had started to lag since hitting Optimus Primal that one time Terrorsaur and I ambushed him - but the blast hit the ground by the tiger's feet and sent him sprawling forward… Face first into a rock. It was also oddly ironic I wasn't in the cat's position but at least I was being useful. If I killed him, it would be one less Maximal for us to deal with.

"Now, Wazzpinator says _goodbye_ to Tiger-bot - _URGH!" _

I didn't even see Airrazor until she shot me.

It was a glancing blow thankfully. The shot hit me square behind my left shoulder and it sent my tumbling through the air when it knocked my equilibrium off balance. After seeing her in action for the first time and watching nearly kill Terrorsaur, for an instant, I thought I'd be just as well off as my indisposed partner. I had known it was her even before she chuckled evenly in amusement somewhere behind me, watching me fall just as she watched Terrorsaur nearly die.

I regained my balance almost immediately subsequent to thinking the thought. I was _mad._

I straightened my wings and my antigravs sensors kicked back into gear, rebooting the main system when my wings caught the direction of my fall and readjusted. I had admittedly seen Terrorsaur do something similar once when he was shot. Optimus had blasted him in the wings once and sent him into a downward spiral towards the ground. To respond, Terrorsaur merely braced his legs and shifted to beast-mode, allowing his wings to pick up the direction of his fall and make equilibrium balance out again. It was a neat trick but I hadn't even thought about using it when I did. Before I knew it, I felt my face twist in an unbelievable amount of raw anger. The rage I felt when I snarled at Scorponok while protecting Terrorsaur's severed components was bad, but this was _far_ worse.

The hate wasn't from being shot at and laughed at by the femme. The hate was from what she had done to my best friend. "Waspinator_ remembers _Bird-bot…"

The venom in my own voice was frightening to me.

I had remembered Airrazor from the shot that hit my back. It was a pulse shot similar to Terrorsaur's, although I had immediately ruled out Terrorsaur because he was still in the CR chamber and would _never_ shoot me in the back.

Airrazor shot down Terrorsaur with the same weapon. My anger flared violently and my vision turned red.

I whipped around, optics blazing and my whole body trembling in total anger. _"_Wazzpinator_will_ SCRAP!"

Airrazor chuckled lightly and put her hands on her athlete like hips. The femme was so stuck up with herself that I was tempted to lunge for her and tear out her vocalizer right then and there. "I'm flattered…" Her optics sparkled as though she didn't remember what she had done to my partner. I hated her more than I ever hated anything else in my lifetime before.

I was still shaking in rage when I lifted my gun and aimed. I usually, on a normal basis, never really paid much heed to my aim because it was so bad and I knew I would miss anyways. Today was an exception however. I wanted the shot to count. I pulled the trigger and fired.

The stinger missile headed straight for Airrazor at a great speed, never once wavering in the air, I was sure he was going to kill her. I grinned maliciously in triumph, seemingly avenging my fallen comrade, but it was short lived when Airrazor swatted the missile away like it was a bug. Like it was me.

Like it was _Terrorsaur._

Airrazor glared hard and clenched her fists. "But hardly impressed," she spoke coolly, her wrist mounted missile darts clicking into place.

Sucks to me, doesn't it? If you agree, so do I. My logic circuits really kicked into gear and I buzzed nervously, beginning to tremble and feebly bringing a hand to my face to protect myself. The femme fired at me twice - I heard the shots - and there was an abrupt, sharp pain in my wings. It didn't hurt all too much having them blasted off - they were humanely clean shots - but the places where they once were burned like the Pitt and I realized I didn't have anything to stay in the air with. With no wings supporting me in mid flight, I fell to the ground below. Ironically, I landed headfirst.

I had expected Airrazor to come back after me but she left me for dead the same way she did Terrorsaur. I wasn't nearly in bad of shape mind you, but I was still _stuck_. I razzed. The Primus damned mouse that was chewing on my antenna was doing nothing for my pride either. "Wazzpinator _hates_ Bird-bot…"

I felt horrible about more or less failing Terrorsaur. It took me twenty cycles to get my head out of the dirt and a little more than a megacycle to walk back to base.

By the time I finally got back to the _Darkside_, I was deadbeat exhausted. I wasn't all too heavily damaged but I had a _very_ annoying limp alongside with the fact my wings were completely gone. It took me so long to reach base because I had to constantly shift to beast-mode and crawl due to the energon surges I got as a robot. It wasn't any faster crawling about on six wasp legs than it was walking on two. I felt miserable, keeping my head down as I struggled to get back to Predacon headquarters, and it felt like my spark had broken into several pieces. Not nearly as many as Terrorsaur when he was almost killed, but it hurt all the same. The fact I could not avenge Terrorsaur greatly bothered me.

"_Waspinator!" _

My hearing wasn't broken though, and I heard Terrorsaur call out for me as clear as day. I snapped to attention hearing his voice cut through the air and I looked up. I stared back at Terrorsaur when our eyes locked.

He stood thirty or so feet from me across the lava field - the patch we were standing on was hardened rock, so we were in no danger of the lava flows - and we found ourselves instantly engaged in another one of our staring matches. His scarlet optics were intense while he stared back into my own blue ones. I was the one who broke the eye contact. I lunged for Terrorsaur, sprinting the entire distance between us aside how tired I was, and I wrapped my arms around the red flier's neck when I reached him. I buried my face against his shoulder and savored the feeling of his form pressed against mine. It was still slightly unnerving for me to enjoy being in physical contact with Terrorsaur but I could not bring myself to care in the slightest. Terrorsaur was alright. That was all I gave a damn about right there and then.

Terrorsaur seemed to recoil slightly, taking a step back when I swung my arms around his neck and held him. He seemed to hesitate but, after a moment, he wrapped his own arms around my upper torso and buried his pale face against my own shoulder.

We had been physical with one another before, but this was something new all the same. We stood together like that for sometime and I felt Terrorsaur caress the spot where one of my wings had been shot off. I was caught off guard by the touch but then I realized I was tracing my fingers over the nape of his neck. That was a place where Terrorsaur's head had been blasted off his body.

We broke apart, both with some reluctance and relief. A strange look had passed over Terrorsaur's face, indicating some form of discomfort, and I wondered if he was maybe feeling the same things I was. Terrorsaur smirked at me lightly and turned away to walk back to base. I followed after him, though we went in silence. Another issue altogether, we also avoided optic contact.

…I had to stop this. Whatever it was that was going on between us, I had to settle it. It wasn't as if I knew what if was for a fact but we had to face it nonetheless. I stopped walking dead in my tracks.

Terrorsaur turned back to me when he heard me stop, raising an optic ridge at me. There was a poorly hidden look of concern in the other Predacon's optics. "What is it?"

I had taken to looking to my side, purposely away from Terrorsaur and his scarlet optics. If I had my wings, they might've been erect with the nervousness I could feel radiating off my body. A phrase that I wanted to say came to mind but I suddenly felt my spark skip a beat knowing what it meant. After an agonizing moment, I sighed lightly and swallowed hard. My fuel pump pumped faster and my spark skipped a pulsation. "…Terror-bot want to go with Wazzpinator to mountain in sector Tanna-16 to watch sunset? Izz pretty-"

To be blunt, it was more or less the equivalent of asking someone out. I felt stupid for saying anything a moment afterward.

Terrorsaur smirked, his lips curling up slightly and his optics narrowing playfully just out of my line of immediate vision. "Why are you asking _me?"_

I wasn't sure of what else to say. Words wanted to formulate in my throat and they did, but they broke apart before they could be voiced. I wasn't even sure _why_ I asked him to go with me in the first place. We were friends - two of them getting ridiculously close I'll admit - and I told myself that repeatedly in my head. My mind reeled slightly and, for whatever reason, the mere term 'friend' didn't seem to fit anymore. It in no way felt right like calling him my scarlet star.

I continued to stare off to my direct left so I did not have to look at Terrorsaur head on. I thought I might have stood there forever and Terrorsaur abruptly smiled at me. I saw him make the facial expression just out of the corer of my vision and he reached forward to ruffle the top of my head like I was a sparkling. The touch made my face grow hot under the plating despite myself. His hand lingered.

"Consider it a date."

And my spark leapt in my chest.

We went back inside and I sat in the CR tank for several cycles so my wings could regenerate. When I reemerged, Terrorsaur was waiting beside the tank for me. With my wings back, we went to the command center and both asked for a leave to retire to Tanna-16. Megaton really didn't have much of a say on whether or not he could keep us in the _Darkside_ - we were not on duty after all - so he let us go. We still had a curfew to abide to though and, seeing the time it was then and the time we needed to return, we had about five megacycles to ourselves. Because Tanna was on the furthermost section of our territory, it took us maybe twenty cycles to get there.

Tanna-16 had a huge mountain in the center of the sector and it was the most gorgeous organic paradise I had ever seen. I had first caught a glimpse of it while Terrorsaur and I were on patrol. He didn't seem to care much for it but, when I went on patrol alone one other time, I saw the area while the sun was setting. It was stunning and, admittedly, I had to cave and say that the little dust ball we found ourselves on was not nearly as bad as I thought. The grid was surrounded by a forest and was complete with a large lake that rested at the foot of the main mountain. Without a doubt, it had the best view of the sunset you could ever see. While the Maximals were more eastward and got an excellent view of the sunrises, our territory was more westward. This gave us the best view of the sun's setting.

Now that Terrorsaur was really seeing it for the first time and not just glancing at it, he seemed to see how beautiful it was too. We both hovered above the sector and he let out a long whistle. He said nothing more than that, apparently lost for words.

I buzzed. "Wazzpinator likes it."

He grinned. "I do too. C'mon, I bet I can out fly you down to that lake!" My scarlet star stopped flapping his wings and he dived downward. I wondered why he didn't seem to be bothered by the fact the ground was rushing up to meet him - he had given away that he was afraid of heights beforehand - but he pulled up well before he hit the lake's surface. He flapped his wings and landed in the tree overlooking the water. He squawked, shifted to his robot-mode, and he called out for me when he saw I didn't follow. "Hey! What are you waiting for, an invitation!"

I snapped out of my thoughts. "Wazzpinator coming!" I flew down to the tree overlooking the pristine lake, smelling the fresh water as I landed on the branch next to Terrorsaur. The wood groaned beneath us slightly from our weight, but my scanners indicated that it would be strong enough to hold. I stayed in beast-mode.

Terrorsaur was grinning and his scarlet eyes were bright with mirth. "Slowpoke."

I snorted and swatted his arm with a spindly black wasp paw. "Wazzpinator has faster reflexes."

"Say that to the shots you could not dodge when you were blown to scrap."

He laughed and I laughed too. Before I could keep track of my movements though, I pushed Terrorsaur off the branch. I had expected him to retaliate and fly back up but, somehow, I managed to catch him too much by surprise. He fell into the water with a loud splash, making the surface of the lake sparkle and ripple in the sunlight like a glassless mirror. I chuckled evilly - a playful evil snicker to clear things up - and laughed as Terrorsaur came back up to the surface. He flailed about and shifted to beast-mode in an attempt to get out of the water. It was comical to watch but, after a few clicks of flapping his wings erratically, Terrorsaur shifted back to robot-mode when his systems adjusted to the shock. He glared up at me, optics dark and narrowed, and I stifled laughing for a moment when I thought I truly upset Terrorsaur.

He smirked at me.

I gulped audibly and backed away from the edge of the branch. Terrorsaur's smirk broke out into a wide grin and he suddenly sank out of view. I peeked over the side of the branch apprehensively to look for Terrorsaur. I only screamed in surprise and lost my grip on the branch when Terrorsaur erupted from the water. He flew up behind me and yelled playfully in my audio receptor.

"_AIRRAZOR'S A GLITCH!"_

I screeched in surprise and I lost my grip on the branch. I fell into the water with a loud splash before I could get my wings to work. The water wasn't cold but the general shock of falling into the lake made me shriek with surprise anyways. The survival instincts of my beast form kicking in, I flailed around violently and I was sure I looked utterly hopeless in the eyes of my partner. I saw Terrorsaur out of the corner of my vision smirking down at me in the branches before he leapt up, twisted around in the air, and dived in after me. His form was perfect when he did so. He hit the water headfirst and the splash it produced was enough for me to determine exactly where the surface was. I flipped around and finally managed to shift into my respectful robot-mode. The ripples on the lake surface turned calm and my scarlet star didn't immediately resurface. I looked around for him, squinting in the water around me with a slowly rising sense of panic, but then he erupted from below the surface. I shrieked in surprise when he jumped on me and pulled me under. The gesture wasn't malevolent though. It was _playful_. We proceeded to play wrestle about in the water like sparklings.

For a moment, I forgot we were soldiers. For a sweet while, there was no one else beside me and Terrorsaur. A hideous green pauper and a gorgeous crimson sun.

Diving in and out of the water, wrestling about, and even diving to the bottom, we occupied ourselves with the sparkling lake until we dragged ourselves out suffering from intense water log. Completely spent, we both collapsed on the shore lying side-by-side in the late afternoon sun. Terrorsaur lay on his stomach beside me while I shifted onto my back and I stared up at the sky. The sun itself was appealing to look at if you died down your optical sensitivity - you could even see specks of solar flares if you focused carefully enough - but the fact it was not a deep red like Terrorsaur did not make it as attractive. Occasionally, I pointed out clouds to him when I thought they resembled something. One of which was Megatron's damned rubber ducky - which Terrorsaur sniggered at - but he stopped giving me feedback after sometime. I eventually glanced down at him to see he had fallen in a light recharge. His mouth was slightly ajar, his face relaxed and optics dim.

I could not help but compare it to his features when Airrazor took him out of the air. He had looked horrified and in agony with his face contorted in a fashion that tore out my spark. Seeing him sleeping there at that moment though, I could not believe how aesthetic he was. My spark thrummed at the sight that made my face flush and I realized that I loved him.

The inner confession made my head reel.

I smiled at him - don't ask me how with the style of my jaw, it would be far too difficult to explain properly - and I had to get up to clear my thoughts. I shifted to beast-mode and, like I had done when Airrazor took my wings just earlier that day, I crawled about on the ground towards a bushed area. I was sure my buzzing would awaken Terrorsaur if I stayed too close. I figured I'd let him get some sleep.

_Did_ I love him?

It was something I knew I was going to have to face. I'd been in love before once - when I knew a femme on Cybertron who was orphaned and homeless like I was - but it was not nearly as strong as it was with Terrorsaur. I knew something had been off when I met him, so perhaps it was a sign that I was going to fall head over heels for him. I don't think I can properly explain, I apologize for that, but he made my spark do things when I looked at him that no one else caused. It had skipped a beat when I saw him in the warehouse on Cybertron for the first time and it _still_ continued to do that even after we became wingmates. When I started to avoid him, I felt empty. When we became friends though, the emptiness left and built up to where I found myself attracted to him. So _did_ I love him? _Could I?_

Would he feel the same way?

I doubted it. I knew I wasn't the prettiest light in the box and no where near the brightest one either. Why would he _ever_ want me? Scorponok was far more attractive than I was - smarter too - and Blackarachnia was practically an interface toy just _screaming_ to be played with. I wasn't anything truly amazing in my eyes. I was clumsy, needed to have jokes explained to me, had terrible luck, and I was just plain hideous. Why would someone as perfect as Terrorsaur ever want _me?_

The thoughts were frustrating but nevertheless short lived when my sensors detected a large hare hiding in bushes. It dawned on me that Terrorsaur, after being in the CR tank for as long as he had, would probably be starving. It was something to get my mind off of either way, so I let my wings and thorax go erect mechanically. I usually hunted from the air but I still didn't want to risk waking Terrorsaur up. I dropped my antennas, wings, thorax, and I crept towards the bush. A large one by normal standards, it was an old jack rabbit that was completely oblivious to the fact that he was being hunted. For an instant, instead of a small mammal unaware of its oncoming end, I saw Airrazor and the way she looked so _coy_. I hissed spitefully and I let my antennas twitch before I lunged.

For a split click, all I saw was Airrazor. It wasn't a proper way of getting revenge but it was enough to satisfy me.

I jumped on the rabbit and pinned its frail form to the grassy ground. Caught off guard and frightened for its life, it kicked out its hind legs and slammed its foot into the side of my face. The blow was carried out with enough force to momentarily stun me, but I wasn't going to let it get away. With a muted razz, I bit into its hide with bone crushing force. The invasive and coppery odor of blood invaded my olfactory sensors and it set of my instincts tenfold. I jerked my head to the side, thrashed the small thing back and forth, and I bit down hard. Its bones snapped under my maw like twigs. The hare thrashed, grunting and making rasping noises when I broke its back.

Airrazor's image vanished and was replaced with the image of the rabbit once more. I snapped its neck and killed it before it could suffer too much longer. I wouldn't have wished the old animal more harm and I could not do as much as to kill it the way I would Airrazor if I ever got my hands on her. I pulled away with the large rabbit in my jaws. I randomly presumed it had already been dying from age since it didn't put up too much of a fight.

When I returned to Terrorsaur, I dropped the rabbit down just as the red mech was waking up. He was sluggish and looked like he had forgotten where he was. The sight of me seemed to bring him out of his daze - I swore he flushed a light pink for a click, though I was entirely clueless as to why - before he glanced down and noticed the bloodied old hare. By the look that passed over his face when he glanced back up at me, he knew I was offering it to him. His eyes were stunning scarlet stars.

He sat up and shifted to beast-mode. He eyed the dead organic for a moment before he shyly inclined his head to me just barely. His voice was a mere mutter and would have been almost entirely inaudible if I didn't strain my hearing. "I could use some help with this…"

I dropped my antennas apprehensively and could not find words to respond beyond body language. After a click or two, I slowly took a step forward and took a part of the rabbit's leg in my mandibles. Terrorsaur took a hold of a shoulder with his upper beak and, like two predators sharing a single prey, we tore it in half. We ate it in silence, messily mind you, before we retired back to the water to wash the blood and bits of fur off. Terrorsaur perched on a small boulder, dipped his beak into the water, and he brought it back out before running his claws over the length to get the blood off. I tried to do something similar but, courteous of my idiocy, I accidentally fell into the water again.

Once that was taken care of, we took to the air and headed for the actual mountain that sat in the dead epicenter of Tanna-16. The sky had turned a deep pink that changed to an orangey red where the sun was positioned. We circled it twice in the air before we found a suitable spot to land on a ledge at the entrance of a cave. We were about two thousand or so feet up from the ground.

Then sun was starting to descend in the distance and, although not a full sunset yet, it was still stunning. The sky was painted hues of orange and pink and the landscape below was caught in the colors. The lake shimmered a sparkling carroty yellow and the treetops in the forest glowed a light ginger. Terrorsaur shifted to robot-mode with a whistle and he commented to me that it really was a pretty sight. I buzzed, somewhat flattered by the remark, and I sat on the edge of the cliff. Terrorsaur seemed a bit apprehensive - he would deny it, but I was sure it had something to do with his fear of heights - but he sat himself next to me regardless. He was still apprehensive and I saw him nervously peek over the cliff's edge to judge the height. He sat closer to me than you would usually sit next to someone.

Just as Terrorsaur was uneasy about the height, I was somewhat tense with Terrorsaur so close. I attempted to brush it off like it was nothing but, nonetheless, my fuel pump throbbed anxiously. We sat in silence for a few cycles before Terrorsaur said something inaudible to my audios. I asked him to repeat what he said.

"I said thanks for inviting me out here."

"Oh. Well… thankzz for coming with Wazzpinator."

We went silent again, watching the sun set in the distance, and that seemed to the end of it. The silence continued on for a few more moments and I found it relaxing to a degree. The burning sun of a star continued to descend and it turned from a golden orange to a brightening light red. The sky changed with it, turning the pinks to orange to a deep scarlet red. The clouds were stained pink and a flock of birds flew underneath them like black blots on a canvas. Terrorsaur shattered the silence when he spoke.

"You know Waspy, you were right when you said that cloud looked like Megatron's rubber ducky. I swear, there is nothing more deformed or _ugly_ in this entire universe. Why the slaggin' Pitt does he even _keep_ that thing!" Terrorsaur cleared his throat and screwed up his face. _"My name is Megatron, yesss. I love acting stupid and talking like a total idiot who pretends to be smart. I like to snuggle with my rubber ducky because it is squeaky, floats on water, and has a no CPU processor just like me! Rubber ducky, you're the one! You make bath time lots of fun~!"_

Whether or not it was Terrorsaur's expression, his voice impression of Megatron, or his absolutely horrendous singing, I burst out laughing. I fell backward, held my sides, and nearly cried because I was cackling so hard. I swear that my sides were going to explode if I hadn't stopped myself when I had. After sometime, I found the strength to sit up again. There were tears pricking my optics and I forced myself to be reduced to random, irregular giggling. Terrorsaur smiled at me and I smiled back at him. I turned back to the sunset snickering every so often.

Something drastic changed.

An unseen force in the air shifted and I was sure I would've broken out into gooseflesh if I was organic. It was as if the energy around us grew both hot and cold at the same time. It confused me but I attempted to brush it off even when my spark felt as though it skipped a beat. My field of vision had drifted to Terrorsaur again, intending to ask how he had found out about Megatron's rubber ducky - I had seen the tyrant squeaking it once, though I was sure I was the only one who saw - but I stopped short when I noticed Terrorsaur looking straight back at me. The red mech's scarlet optics were enhanced with the red glow of the setting sun as he and I made eye contact. The rather laid back feeling I had just clicks before faded and my expression went neutral like his. The air shifted again, turning warmer, but the intensity of our stare increased to the breaking point. Whatever it was between us that wanted to be broken was an inch, perhaps a _millimeter_ from being shattered forever. No more than three clicks ticked by but neither of us had said or done anything.

The barrier was suddenly shattered. It would remain broken forever.

Terrorsaur very, _very_ slowly leaned forward several centimeters. This movement was just barely noticeable unless you were _really_ paying attention. I recoiled somewhat, unsure of what he was doing right away, and the upper part of my left wing twitched nervously.

Then it dawned on me. I was too shocked to realize I had leaned forward myself as well.

Our faces remained neutral and I returned the gesture. I leaned forward somewhat before I could bring myself to fully understand what I was doing, bringing my face closer to the pale one of my wingmate. Terrorsaur tensed visibly, the muscles of his beast mode's wings and other organic patches tightening to bring themselves closer to his body so they stiffened against his frame. What was going on now became inevitable and I found myself, to my own surprise, not taken aback.

The gleaming, scarlet star of a sun cast itself over us. Our shadows trailed out behind our seated bodies as long, tall silhouettes against the steep rock wall of the mountain. Our frames were engulfed in the fiery brilliance of the sun. We knew this, yes, but we ignored it. Nothing mattered now except for the intense look we gave one another with our not so silent silence. Our actions spoke louder than anything and it wasn't quite silence anymore. I edged even closer not feeling as apprehensive suddenly, my large blue optics gazing back at the suddenly very hesitant optics of Terrorsaur. We were inches apart, literally breathing on each other as the sun continued it's decent into night. It was then that I offlined my optics, letting my mandibles part just barely. I heard the light rattle of armor as Terrorsaur shuddered ever so slightly. I activated my optics just scarcely to see he had dimmed his own without turning them off completely. He was nervous, possibly afraid to an extent, but he leaned forward even further regardless. His lips parted and he tilted his head to the side somewhat. I deactivated my optics once more.

…I _kissed_ him.


	2. Act II

**ii**

I closed the distance us and I pressed my mouth against his. I was too shocked to realize whether or not I blushed. The sensors in my mandibles detected heat erupting throughout Terrorsaur's face and, if I chose to reactivate my optical input, I knew I would see his face flushed. My wings went rigid and the kiss had little moment for a fleeting moment. Clicks later though, my spark fluttered and I melted right into him, leaning forward and opening my mandibles to run them over his perfectly formed lips.

Regardless to our current situation, I could still barely comprehend what was happening the more I thought about it. I was kissing _Terrorsaur_. Of all mechs, it was the one that seemed the least likely candidate to do what he was doing with me now. The gorgeous scarlet star actually sharing a moment with the hideous green pauper. I still was having difficulty believing it. I mean, I had always known there was something up with Terrorsaur - I knew that from the first moment I laid my optics on him and his on me - but I never thought it would lead to _this._ He was my friend, probably the only one I'd ever had that meant this much to me, but I doubted that there could ever be anything romantic between us.

…That was my mistake really. It was far too obvious that was what wanted to be broken when it came to our silence and withheld emotions.

Terrorsaur shivered slightly and leaned back, acting uncharacteristically submissive towards me. He seemed discomfited even with no one watching us - I had a nagging feeling someone _was_, though I ignored it - but it took me a moment to realize he was embarrassed over the fact he was too passive to do anything in response. I did not blame him right away, no, but then it dawned on me that there shouldn't be a reason for Terrorsaur to hold back. He was no coward in the slightest but it still threw me off guard that he was anxious of what we were doing. I imagined his optics were still barely online.

It hit me over the head that he was afraid I would reject him somehow. It was the only logical explanation that came to mind.

Realizing just how uneasy Terrorsaur was, I made the move to shift my hand up and down his right arm to attempt coaxing him out of his radiating overwrought state. It apparently worked, noting he shuddered. I pictured his optics deactivating fully when my hand traced over his arm's sensitive compacted wing. I was surprised he had faith in me enough to do this but I felt oddly flattered that he'd do that for me. To trust me enough to leave himself at my mercy while we sat on a high cliff.

He kissed me _back_.

I was so surprised that I ceased assaulting him with my mandibles altogether. He kissed me lightly and I parted my jaw further so he could get better access. He trailed his lips up and down the yellow and green plating and, gently, I began to kiss him back again when my confidence returned. We moved in sync, breathing only through our olfactory sensors and focusing on keeping up on our kiss until I finally felt we needed to address this… Whatever it was we were doing.

I really did not want to stop - I was sure the same went on for Terrorsaur - but the fact remained I had to tell him how I felt.

I kept my optics off and sorting through my thoughts in order to come up with what I wanted to say, I suddenly felt Terrorsaur's bloody scarlet gaze on me. My own optics onlined immediately and I locked my blue eyes with his own. The sun met the horizon while we were distracted and its crimson brilliance made the sky a deep orange scarlet mixed with purple. Feeling embarrassed about what we did - Primus, I actually _kissed_ Terrorsaur - my face got hot and I blushed. I almost could not find it in myself to speak.

"…Um… That wazz…" I wanted to say I was in love with him, I really did, but the way his optics glowed in the sunset made my throat tighten around my vocalizer. I was rendered entirely silent.

He caught me by surprise and suddenly kissed me again. He leaned forward gracefully and let his lips graze the front of my mandibles before kissing me right on the front where they parted to reveal my jaw. It was in a fluidly executed movement and I felt myself blush again with it. The sun was almost entirely set off in the distance and the first stars were beginning to appear. I glanced at one out of the corner of my optic. When stars died they usually turned red. I suppose the star I was looking at was near its end seeing it was a light pink color.

I shut my azure optics down again but Terrorsaur broke off before I could kiss him back. I felt his optics on me and I onlined my own once more. There was an almost distant look on his face. It was as if he was deep in thought but, a moment later, I lost control and I leaned forward to kiss him once more. I turned my head to the side to graze my mandibles against his cheek. He shuddered slightly and forced himself to remain under control when I reached his audio. He was tense, maybe afraid of what I was going to say, but I was more afraid of his reaction. It was now or never.

"…Wazzpinator thinkzz he's in love with Terror-bot," I murmured lightly. My fuel pump sputtered in my chest when I spoke.

I felt surprise and relief radiate off Terrorsaur. I was not sure what it meant in regards to his reaction.

"…_Really?"_ His voice was barely above a rasped whisper. I felt a wave of nervousness wash over me.

Did he feel for me too? Did he love me like I loved him?

Feeling overwhelmingly self conscious, I quickly continued on and forced myself to not stutter like a total fool. My hands and wings trembled slightly when I spoke. "Wazzpinator thought about it a lot today and Wazzpinator can't get over Terror-bot. When Bird-bot hurt Terror-bot… When…" I trailed off leaving the sentence unfinished. I did not want to remember his cries and his screaming. It was something I was sure would always be etched in my processors as a horrific nightmare.

I backed away from his audio and he looked over towards me, looking directly into my face. He smirked at me.

"I guess the feeling's mutual," he said with as much of his character as he could. "I love you too, you dummy. Now we're even."

I perked up right away, my spark leaping in my chest. "Terror-bot meanzz it!" Every bit of peppiness and my usual character returned and I wanted to yell out in a sort of victorious sense. Faintly, he smiled genuinely at me.

His optics were as bright as the stars. For the matter, maybe scarlet ones.

I leaned forward and kissed him lightly again with a slightly more playful vigor than before. I pulled back again and felt an abrupt mood swing after I kissed him. We locked gazes and we watched one another for sometime before he leaned forward and kissed me once more. Primus, I felt like I was walking on air every time the distance was closed between us. We ended up going back and forth that for another ten cycles.

We finally broke away after the sun completely set into the western horizon. We ended staying on the cliff edge for another megacycle or so watching the stars. I still could not help but notice the red ones while they blinked a pinkish scarlet against the black of the sky. It was dark out when Terrorsaur realized we were going to be late for curfew. He mentioned it to me and I checked my own internal clock. I came up with the same conclusion as Terrorsaur had. We both stood to leave, Terrorsaur a graceful figure compared to my clumsiness, and he had to help me up. He reached a hand down to mine much like the way he had after Dinobot made a boulder fall on me just a few weeks prior. He did not let go when I was up on my feet though. Even when I was standing again, he clasped my hand tightly in his. The gesture perhaps only lasted five clicks or so. Nonetheless, it was a caring gesture in a sweet moment in time. He gave my fist a reassuring squeeze - perhaps a thank you for what I'd done for him - and I returned it. We did not find ourselves in another kiss, although he pecked me on the cheek just before we took off back for base.

We did not make it back right on time. We were late by three cycles past the curfew. The both of us landed just outside the _Darkside_ and attempted to sneak in, though my bad luck combined with Terrorsaur's inability to get away with anything rendered the attempt impossible.

I stood close to Terrorsaur when we walked in, hoping there wouldn't be a conflict. However, with Megatron, Scorponok, and Terrorsaur in the same room, it's usually unavoidable and more probable than questionable. Terrorsaur took to a hover pad to report back in and, before Scorponok could jeer at my companion, Terrorsaur beat him to it. When we wanted to avoid trouble, he _had_ to go attempt to do the exact opposite did not he? I was tempted to slap Terrorsaur over the head. I did not, but I made up for it by keeping my own hover pad close to Terrorsaur in case his heckle towards Megatron's second brought the tyrant's wrath on us… On _him._

Scorponok snapped back and Megatron had quickly intervened, growling at Terrorsaur to keep his beak shut. The red mech had obliged but not without a quick snort and mumbling something incredibly rude under his breath. My partner maneuvered his pad towards the control room exit so we could get to our quarters. I was expecting Megatron to comment, perhaps even lash out at Terrorsaur for turning his back on our leader, but he did not. I followed right behind Terrorsaur and cast a nervous look over my shoulder.

Megatron was watching me carefully, optics thoughtful. It was as if he were observing Terrorsaur and me very, _very_ carefully. The look made me immediately take my optics away from Megatron's - I saw him avoid my gaze as well - and I prayed that he did not suspect anything.

By the time we were out of the room walking towards our quarters, I stopped him in the middle of the hallway and scolded him for baiting Megatron the way he had. He merely smiled.

"Concerned?"

"Yezz," I stated flatly, trying to keep my superstructure from melting under his touch when he reached a hand forward and cupped the right side of my face. His free hand found one of mine - though I still can't recall exactly which one - and I lost myself when his digits stroked against the green back of my palm lovingly. I leaned forward, quickly scanning the area for energy signatures other than mine and Terrorsaur's, and I kissed him fleetingly. He smirked, tapped the side of my face with his index finger, and he squeezed my hand again like he had back at the mountain's ledge.

"So…" He trailed off and shrugged. "Maybe we can head back to Tanna tomorrow?"

I readily agreed. He kissed me and we parted ways to our own quarters. I had an odd amount of trouble getting to sleep that night.

Several days passed and our little game kept on. We would both finish with our duties around the _Darkside _as early as we could manage - Terrorsaur with slightly more vigor than before I noted, though I was sure it was because he wanted to spend more time with me - and we would head off directly to Tanna-16 to watch the sunsets. There was one day when we could not go out however but, either way, it was another breaking point in our relationship. Though the wall that kept our once restrained feelings apart had been broken down, there were still things that continuously popped up. Physical contact between us seemed to increase gradually until the point where we could not have a conversation without brushing up against one another or lightly touching the other's body. Even then, the contact was also becoming more intimate. Our hands would linger on one another's form longer and would even occasionally caress if we were not paying attention to what our hands were doing. Breaking that point was what happened when it was raining out at Tanna-16 that day. Unable to go, we opted to remain at the base. Scorponok had needed help with repairing a blown fuse box in one of the hallways and, feeling like I owed him for helping repair Terrorsaur in the canyon, I volunteered to help. Despite the poor weather out at the mountain, Terrorsaur had tagged along because he still wanted be with me.

The fuse box sparked under my ministrations, zapping my fingers and making me flinch away. I hissed and narrowed my eyes at the fried wires. "Urgh. Wazzpinator _hates_ electrical work."

"You could've opted to not do this," Terrorsaur murmured. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest loosely, and he glanced down at me. I could not see his eyes but I could still follow the dull shadow he cast when he moved. He tapped his forearms in an unconscious looking gesture and the resonating pang reverberated off the walls. "I know you mentioned that you thought you owed Scorponok, but-"

"Nothing," I razzed. "Wazzpinator probably owes Scorpion-bot more the way Wazzpinator feels about Terror-bot."

"I'm touched," he joked, but I could hear the way his voice faltered indistinctly. He had been somewhat moved by the thought that I cared about him that much.

We were silent. Though we usually were not unspoken with one another anymore, this was a more casual quiet. I fiddled around with the wires more and I broke the silence just as casually as we had created it. "Terror-bot is afraid of heights. Why?"

I had not meant to ask but, despite the consequences, the question managed to somehow slip out anyway. My mechanical brain tripped over itself when I heard Terrorsaur snap his head down to face me. I looked up to see his mouth slightly agape, looking like he wanted to say something back, but the gleam reflecting in his scarlet optics said he could not come up with anything plausible. We locked gazes and, for a moment, I wanted to kiss him again. I held the urge back and turned back to my work while breaking our stare. "After Bird-bot shot Terror-bot, Terror-bot kept rambling and asking that Wazzpinator not drop him. Terror-bot seemed nervous on Tanna cliff, too."

He said nothing again. He turned away, possibly embarrassed over the fact I knew his phobia, and I was afraid I had gone too far. We were silent again for sometime and I wanted to desperately break it. Before I could and when I had nearly finished with my work, Terrorsaur knelt beside me. I snapped my neck around to face him and we made optic contact once more. His scarlet eyes glowed in the darkness of the hall - the only thing lighting the hallway was from the single fluorescent light from up another hall - and he murmured. "Do… Do you think I'm a fool for being afraid of something that stupid?"

I perked up, taken aback. "No! Wazzpinator was just confused why Terror-bot be afraid of heights!"

He stared at me a moment longer and, after a few clicks, he broke the contact. He turned around and slumped back against the wall, lazily bringing his right one knee up and draping his arm over it. He sighed heavily and blinked, letting his scarlet optics dull in the low light. "…I just have been. I did not do much flying as a kid on Cybertron, so I just… I was just introduced to it too late."

Infant Seekers on Cybertron - both Decepticon and Predacon - were known for being midair daredevils. They would learn to fly very early on in their lives as sparklings. Being introduced to the air so early on in their lives, ironically, the only phobia they would usually have would be the fear of enclosed spaces and being grounded. Ninety seven percent of all the Seekers ever created had claustrophobia and would drive themselves mad if they were denied the freedom to fly. The fact any Seeker would have a fear of heights was an alien concept.

He spoke up again, clenching and unclenching his fists at random intervals. He appeared to be nervous. "I can't stand enclosed spaces either, but heights was a weird hang up I've had since… I don't know. Since forever I guess. My mother wouldn't let me fly around when I was old enough to and I tried to hover down the staircase when she was not home. I fell and just about nearly broke my arm. I was afraid of falling ever since. I… I hope that dignifies it."

"It was alwayzz dignified," I answered back. "Wazzpinator not blame Terror-bot." I was not a Seeker back on Cybertron - I was a helicopter - but I still got antsy when I could not fly. Most other fliers like me were not nearly as bad of as the Seekers were, but I was still mildly claustrophobic. To an extent, I could relate since I had a major event take place early on in my life while I was an infant as well. Being as delicate as I could, I finished the rewiring and closed the metallic door to the fuse box.

I turned to look at Terrorsaur, and his optics locked with mine again. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Wazzpinator has weird hang ups too, remember?"

His face turned humorously grim. "And I thought your shiny object fetish was bad. The sugarcane addiction is definitely worse."

_Ah._ His reminder brought up images from events that I preferred to not remember. When we had scanned our respectful beast-modes, many of us had picked up on the traits of the animals we used as our alternate forms. Whereas Terrorsaur had the strangest craving for sunbathing, fish, and small birds that I had ever seen, I had beast-mode wrought addiction for sugary substances and anything that held a reflective glint. One warm day after the events that took place within Tanna-16, while Scorponok and Blackarachnia had tried to set up a jamming station just beyond our territory border with the Maximals, Terrorsaur and I had been standing guard to make sure the project was successful. It was not. Rattrap, Cheetor, Dinobot, and Tigertron had ambushed and engaged the two of us. Outnumbered, we had no choice but to flee. Terrorsaur had given me the order to do so, but then I saw a glint of light reflect off a grenade Rattrap had tossed up. Hopelessly engrossed by the sheen surface of the explosive, I had stared at it stupidly until gravity started to pull it back down. It exploded a click later. As a result, I was sent flying backwards before I crashed violently into the ground. Terrorsaur managed to retrieve me, though not without commenting mildly that I had some seriously dangerous and distracted tendencies.

…_Then_ there was the sugar binge incident. All I remember is wolfing down a few pounds of sugarcane and then waking up in my room with huge hangover. Terrorsaur had been waiting for me to wake up while he sat on the edge of my berth. Either way, I'm glad I can't recall anything else. I'm sure the events that took place during that frightening occasion gave even _Tarantulus_ nightmares. Since then however, I had an addiction to sugar. Regardless to the fact Megatron had banned sugar from being even within a hundred meters of the _Darkside_ - my apparent sugar hyped rampage had obviously humbled the tyrant enough to the point where he did not even want it near the base - Terrorsaur would occasionally slip me a gram or so once or twice a week. I praised him endlessly for it.

I buzzed, feeling my insides twitch from the thought of the contraband Megatron had prohibited. "Don't remind Wazzpinator."

I laughed, a dry and lowly rasped sound, before he leaned forward and smirked at me. Our optics met and I realized his smirk was not a smirk at all. It was a smile. "I have to run another patrol in that area tomorrow. Until I can get some for you, I won't."

Pecking me on the front of my mandibles, he kissed me lightly before he pulled away and pressed his forehead against mine. There was no one in the hallway to see our display - to my knowledge, there were thankfully were no security cameras either - so I found it appropriate to lean forward and catch his lips with my own mouth. He grabbed one of my shoulders and lightly pushed me back, straining to get onto his knees so he could properly face me, and he kissed with a fever that equally matched mine. He wrapped his arms around my neck and, just like the barrier that kept us silent and the second one that hid our affections for one another, a third was knocked down. The barrier regarding something more than our own personal space.

The kiss suddenly deepened, slowed without warning, and Terrorsaur abruptly reached up to grasp the sides of my face with his trembling hands. My insides suddenly heated and I felt a hot blush burn my face. I reached up to grasp the back of his head and I held him there.

To my silent horror, my lower regions heated and I felt lube develop in my port. And we were in a _hallway._

I pulled away with a pant and I could barely find my voice to speak. "Not here, Terror-bot."

Terrorsaur mewled and I caught a glimpse of his usually pale features as he pulled back. His entire face was flushed - whether or not in embarrassment or aroused desire was beyond me - and his optics were somewhat glazed. He looked down at me, his scarlet eyes still brilliant with his abrupt arousal, and he nodded shakily a click later. "Y-yeah. Follow me."

When Optimus Primal had accidentally become a berserker - courteous of another one of Scorponok's _lovely_ screw ups - he had ambushed me in the hallway by busting through a hollow passage in the wall. The wall had not been patched up for the sole purpose that we did not have the supplies needed to repair it, but it had a secure, private chamber towards the right of the gaping hole that could just barely accommodate two Transformers. The entrance to the passage was conveniently no more than ten paces from where we were working and we quickly slipped in without being noticed.

It was the first time we interfaced.

As soon as I walked ahead into the closed off section that would hopefully be out of sight of anyone if they walked past the hole in the wall, Terrorsaur was all over me. Before I could turn to face him, he launched himself for me and kissed desperately up my jaw and mandibles. My wings brushed up against the walls in the enclosed space we were confined to and I resisted the urge to groan in pain. I hastily reached down to try to get my port to click open - at the same time, Terrorsaur raked his teeth down my throat - but I suddenly found myself whipped around and on all fours before I could protest. I bumped my head into the wall and razzed in pain just as Terrorsaur cursed behind me in a soft, pitched voice. He pushed himself past my thorax and his hand fondled my skid plate with a roughness I did not think he intended. My aft port clicked, I heard another click resonate from behind me - Terrorsaur's own port no doubt - and then electricity surged through my frame when he married our bodies.

I grunted from the pain and balled my fists. Embarrassment made my face burn hot and pain made my body ache. For our first time - admittedly - it was not all that pleasurable. Things were far too rushed and awkward for me to be any bit enjoyable and, the way my partner grunted behind me, Terrorsaur seemed to be in a silent agreement. Our bodies moved in sync, back and forth, but our sparks did not. After sometime, Terrorsaur bent over slightly to rest his upper torso on my back while he thrust.

I reached my right hand behind me and I grabbed Terrorsaur's fist. His fingers interlocked with mine immediately and, honestly, it was probably the only thing that felt right about what we were doing. I slammed my other fist onto the floor and ducked my head down to rest my forehead on the ground. He groaned behind me suddenly and I felt his port burn and surge with an overload. He had never come close to any of my hotspots once, no, but I pretended to overload anyways. I pseudo moaned and arched my back to make my movements seem believable, but I was not all too sure if they would be.

His overload dwindled after a moment and we were still. Terrorsaur slowly pulled away from me and he closed my aft port with a much more gentle touch. I turned to look at him, sitting on my aft and drawing my knees up to my chest. His face was bright red from embarrassment and he seemed to be overly interested in the scuffed, black floor underneath us. We were both silent for sometime before I finally decided to break it again. I razzed. "Terror-bot okay?"

He nodded absently. "Yeah… you?"

I nodded, but I averted my own gaze from trying to find his. I pretended to take interest in the wall next to my head, studying the dull black shadows my body cast, but then I heard Terrorsaur get up and leave. I turned around to look for him… But he was gone. Silence ensured and I sat alone for sometime before I felt an uncomfortably hot lump form in my throat. I did not feel like I was going to cry but I was mortified at what we had still done. We had not even actually been _dating_, of all things, for no more than several days prior to this.

My spark suddenly pulsated painfully in my chest.

I felt my face contort with mild pain, though my spark did nothing more. I ran a quick diagnostics on it, but everything came back normal. I dismissed it for nothing and forced myself up. After It hurt to walk and I knew it would be agonizing to head all the way down to his workshop, so I radioed Scorponok instead to let him know the fuse box was repaired. When I got through to him, I told him it was patched up and that I was going back to my quarters. The mechanic thanked me on the other side of the line but, before I could cut the connection, Scorponok piped back up.

"_Waspinator? Are you crying?"_

As soon as he mentioned it, I realized I was when I could not control the weak sob that issued forth. I forced my vocalizer to remain quiet in tone when I next spoke back up. "N-no. Wazzpinator fine…"

The mechanic seemed hesitant to hang up - he kept the radio link open for a few extra clicks - but then he turned it off. I was left alone in silence and, without further ado, I cried. I leaned against the wall for support and brought my right hand up to cover my optics. Hot tears stained my palm and I balled my other fist, slamming it against the wall in my teary frustration. The hot lump in my throat lurched painfully. I shuddered and prayed no one was watching me.

After a good half megacycle, I attempted to return to my quarters for the night. While I struggled to get there with my rubbery legs, I had to pass Terrorsaur's quarters. The hallway was dark aside from the fluorescent light that was directly over his door and I stopped in my tracks to stare at it. I could not see a light underneath the door - this probably meant my scarlet companion was asleep for all I knew - but then I could not help reaching over and knocking on it lightly. I wanted him to hear it and not hear it at the same time, but I felt a hot lump form in the back of my throat again when something else came to mind in that one instant.

…Did Terrorsaur suddenly decide he did not want me?

I knew he did like me a lot - what went down at Tanna was an indication - but had there been… something about my body that he did not like? Was _that_ it?

I was tempted to leave and just to back to my quarters with the thought. Fate, however, had other plans in store for me. The door to Terrorsaur's room hissed open and the Predacon flier stood leaning against the doorframe, his expression and body language telling me that he had perhaps just woken up from a light recharge. He rubbed his face - not seeing me yet - and he spoke tiredly. "What?"

I wanted to say something, walk away even, but my legs either refused to work or the universe that hated me somehow found a way to fuse my feet with the floor. I could not say or do anything, but another burning knob caught in my gullet.

Terrorsaur ran his hand down his face and his optics were unhindered from seeing me. He froze, scarlet eyes brightening upon realizing it was me. His crimson and ebony hand dropped away from his face and he immediately straightened out. He looked surprised but I could clearly see there was a bit of alarm that made his face drop. He stood straight and reached towards me. "Waspinator? Slag, what-?"

I knew I could not hold it in and it was out before I could stop myself. I buzzed dejectedly and felt the last of my resolve cave in completely. My shoulders shook, my wings went rigid, and I razzed miserably. "Wazzpinator… _Zzory?"_

Before I could get a grip on some form of reality, I dropped my head so I was looking down at the floor. My vision of the dark metal that kept me there like a magnet blurred and, before I had anymore say in the matter, I cried. I buzzed dismally and balled my hands turned to fists in a vain, last ditch effort to maintain myself. Of all things, I had to go and look _weak_ in front of Terrorsaur. It was not as if I had not disappointed him already with whatever it was that was wrong with my body.

The way Terrorsaur reacted, I could tell he was immediately alarmed by my actions. He took a step forward and, before I could try tearing my feet away from the ground that had merged me there, he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me tightly against him. With my view of the floor obscured by the top of his chest when he brought our bodied together, I almost instinctively pressed my head against his shoulder. The scarlet flier's grip was firm and I felt oddly safe within the embrace he bestowed. Through my scrambled thoughts, I somehow got the impression that I would be fine even if someone threw a shiny grenade my way in that instant.

I felt _safe._

Terrorsaur was shushing me and pressing my body to his, willing what had allied me to stop. He rocked on his heels and rubbed the back of my neck with the base of his right thumb. "Waspinator, what-?"

I sniveled and made a choking sound in the far back of my throat. "Terror-bot left and Wazzpinator alone. Doezz Terror-bot not _want_ Wazzpinator anymore?"

He hugged me tighter, seemingly alarmed by what it was I said. Whereas any other Transformer would've been bothered by the amount of pressure his arms applied, I did not mind it in the slightest. It gave me the random thought that I would be safe even if someone decided to drop a nuke for all I cared. Terrorsaur kept me in his arms and, almost randomly, he turned his head and pressed his crested forehead against my temple. The movement might've been uncomfortable for his neck - I was worried some about the way I heard the gears creak over the sound of my sniveling - but he broke through my thoughts by speaking up gently. "Geez, Waspinator I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get this upset." I did not think it was possible but, nevertheless, his hold turned tighter.

I hiccupped and - despite the amount of near crushing pressure he had me under - I managed to take a shuddering breath. "Terror-bot still want Wazzpinator?"

"Waspinator, _yes,"_ he said with an exasperated tone. He kissed the side of my head lightly, letting his lips ghost over the armor there. When he spoke again, his breath tickled the spot he had kissed. "The reason I left has nothing to do with you. I just… I felt like I total fragger afterwards. Of all the places we _had_ to do it, we had to interface inside the _wall_. You deserve better."

The last word seemed to slip Terrorsaur's mind because, seemingly surprised with himself, he stopped stroking the nape of my neck. I reached up and gripped either side of his arms, keeping him against me, and I buzzed. "Terror-bot means that?"

He nodded against me. "…C'mon. You want to spend the night with me?"

I wanted to say yes but my vocalizer still made me keep up with my sniveling. Regardless though, Terrorsaur lead me into his darkened room and pulled away from me to close the door. No longer feeling his arms tightly wrapped around my body, I shivered involuntarily and silently wished him to put me back in his embrace. Moonlight shone through the stretch of window that dominated the far back wall. Though my feet were no longer permanently planted to the floor, I still found it difficult to bring myself to move.

The sliding door hissed back closed and Terrorsaur wrapped his arms around me, tenderly kissing the up side of my neck. Without a word, he silently pushed me along towards the berth and helped me get in. Though it was somewhat larger than the standard size recharge ports, the bed was still too small for two mechs to share it sprawled out. I had to lie on it facing the furthest from the wall so Terrorsaur would still have room. If I did not lie on my side at the edge, my wings and ungodly huge wasp abdomen would keep him from getting on the recharge plate at all.

He clambered on from the foot of the bed and sat up against the wall when he reached the headrest of the berth. He thrummed his fingers against his thighs and I silently sat up with him. We both stayed like that, side by side against the black metal, but I made the motion to rest my head against his shoulder. He wrapped his left arm around my waist and kept me as close as possible. We stayed like that for a long time before he moved his right hand towards my own sitting tiredly against my thigh.

He grasped it and, without hesitation, I held his back. He stroked the backside of my emerald hand with his black colored thumb. We stayed like that for even longer.

Though the sky had been clear - the moonlight pouring in through the windows was an indication of this most definitely - I heard the too tall pitter patter of rain starting to fall against the _Darkside_. The rainstorm that had been at Tanna and the other northernmost Predacon sectors had finally moved south towards our base. I imagined what Tanna had to look underneath the shimmering moonlight and I was tempted to ask Terrorsaur if he wanted to go with me out there sometime at night. The idea would obviously never run by Megatron but I was sure we could find a way to sneak out. Before I could break our silence though, the light from the window was slightly blotted out. Clouds had passed over it and, moments later, the heavy pounding of rain against the _Darkside_ hull resonated. It was an oddly relaxing sound that made me silence my question and listen. Thunder rumbled in a non-menacing, faraway manner outside.

Something inside my body randomly clicked.

My lower regions throbbed and I razzed feeling everything down there tighten to a coiled spring. Terrorsaur did not seem to notice at first but, after a few cycles, he somehow managed to see the discomfort on my face. He angled his head so he could allow himself to look down at me and the dulled moonlight that caught on his features made his pale synthetic flesh look ghostly. His optics were still scarlet stars though, and that was something that both unnerved and comforted me when I felt something in my port twitch. Of all times it had to happen, I had to get turned on for no apparent reason _now?_

I glanced up towards my partner's face completely and our optics met. His scarlet ones clashed with my blue set and, very carefully, he moved his hand away from mine and ran it up the length of my thigh. I stifled a low groan but, nevertheless, he brought it up to my inner thigh and caressed the spot hesitantly. Without much of a say in the matter, my body spread its legs slightly to allow my partner the room to do this. Terrorsaur's confidence wavered, probably wanting my permission before he went forward with anything. He pushed his luck not hearing me object and he let his fingers trail over my codpiece. He had to sit up slightly so he could accomplish this but I could not hold my light moan back even when I tried to. I let my head loll back so it bumped against the back wall. _"Terror-bot…"_

Reading my body language as a sign for him to continue, he gently rubbed my crotch with his whole hand. My spark thrummed in my chest and everything in my port was lubed immediately. Heat danced up my abs in spiraling columns of zapping pre-bliss and I trembled slightly from anticipation, angling my neck so I could met his optics again. He pushed down on my port cover and the retractable emerald seal hissed open. Heat radiated from between my legs and I could smell the unmistakable hot coppery scent that indicated my body's desire. Though not completely at my most venerable, I felt my face flush and I had to break our optic contact. I buried my head against his shoulder again with a buzzing whimper, nuzzling his neck as best I could.

He hesitated again. I mewled pathetically and, finding himself with no where else to go, Terrorsaur pressed himself onward. He dipped his trigger and middle digit into my port.

I had to resist bucking as much as I could, but I found I could not stop the initial jolt that made me jerk in place. I forced myself to not arch my hips into the delicious touch, yes, but my control was limited at most. I gasped and groaned like I was dying, buzzing my wings when he wormed those fingers down against my super sensitive circuitry. My face grew hot, flushed ever more, and I tried to bite back the loud moan that wanted to tear itself free from the confides of my body when he moved his fingers slightly. I balled my hands into fists and pressed them against my thighs. Without much aim as to what he could do with me, Terrorsaur settled for thrusting in an out of my body gently. Every now and again, he could try going in at a new angle to let electric pleasure spiral up and down my innards. The room was eerily silent despite my harshening air intakes and, briefly, it reminded me about the silence we had at the beginning of our partnership.

Then he stopped thrusting and he began stroking. It made my spark do flips in its casing.

He stopped his prior method and nearly pulled out when he used his thumb to trace around the outside of my interface dock. I gasped his name and groaned, knowing full well the knuckles on my hands would have been white if I was organic. He pushed his fingers back down inside me, but this time he resorted to stroking the cables rather than brushing up against them. It was a whole new sensation that made my already quickly beating fuel pump sputter inside my chest. I buried my face in his neck further and moaned, trying not to arch my hips into his hand. I still felt his gaze on me even though my optics were offline and unable to resister his watching scarlet eyes, but I felt far too embarrassed to even _consider_ looking at him.

His talented fingers continued to stroke the wiring before his thumb and two digits dipped further down and found one of the larger cables in my port. Moaning like I was slowly dying and still loving every moment of it, I spread my legs further apart when his digits found it. I lost my voice when he started to pump against the cable though. He moved up and down against it, moving his entire hand with the motion, and the friction was too much for me to handle. Heat lanced up my abs and into my spark with a high enough temperature to melt soft metals.

For the first time under Terrorsaur's ministrations, I overloaded. Oh _gods,_ I don't even think it's physically possible for me to forget what it felt like.

I gasped meekly, letting my mandibles fall open and my face burn hot with embarrassment. Blissful, uncontrolled pleasure zapped up my abdomen and through every limb attached to my torso. My spark thrummed in euphoria and turned into a small sun inside my spark chamber. Sparks zapped from between my legs and there was nothing I could do but moan and ride through it. I gave in finally, arched my hips weakly, and Terrorsaur merely kept jerking me off through all of it.

When my overload finally began to dwindle, he removed his fingers and rubbed my port to ease it back closed. I panted, keeping my face buried in his throat and trying to regain what little composure I had left. Terrorsaur's hand - the one he used to pleasure me - came up underneath my chin and I felt Terrorsaur pull away slightly. I tried to keep my face downcast but he tilted my face up so I was forced to look up at him. My optics seemed to go back online on their own accord and I had to force my mandibles closed. His expression was unreadable and his scarlet optics were aglow with concern. My face turned hot again and I mewled.

His voice was soft compared to the rain pounding outside. "Are you alright?"

I would've responded if I had the energy. As it was, I did not. I barely had the energy reserves to nod my let alone voice it. Terrorsaur seemed to understand my intended response would have been _yes _just by the look he had to have seen in my eyes. He bent his head forward slightly, hesitated for only the briefest of clicks, and then he closed the space between us to kiss me tenderly. The fingers on the hand that kept my head from falling forward from my lack of strength stroked the underneath of my chin plating while his other arm, still wrapped around me, squeezed gently on my lower shoulder. I shivered as my post-bliss began to dwindle into exhaustion and recharge began to sweep me away into nothingness. Before I finally gave in and fell offline, Terrorsaur pulled away after kissed the top of my forehead gently.

I dreamt that I saw two sparks floating together in the dark - one a beautiful red, the other a hideous green - before they fused together and turned a brilliant gold. The dream itself disturbed me greatly for several reasons. The most blunt of these reasons was that sparks fused together when Transformers bonded. Not that the thought of ever bonding with Terrorsaur scared me, absolutely not, but the rate at which our relationship was going _did._

I woke up some few megacycles later - by Primus, I was ridiculously starved - still lying beside Terrorsaur. The heavy rain had stopped but I could clearly hear the soft thumps of a light drizzle outside. It was still dark out but a quick time check on my behalf indicated that it was five or so hours before sunrise. Terrorsaur had long since fallen asleep as well, his jaw slightly agar and his chin resting on his upper chest. I watched him with hazy recharge wrought confusion clouding my higher logic. It had not even been a week ago that we shared out first kiss and we had attempted to interface just the day prior… And then, even after that attempt, Terrorsaur pleasured me himself. My mind could not race with thoughts in my groggy state but I had enough common sense to know that the speed at which our partnership was turning into something else - something even I was afraid to grasp without knowing what would happen to us in the long run - was terrifying.

We had once been nothing more than partners in Megatron's scheme who were silent to one another with no sense of friendship between them. In a fluke, we became friends and, in another, we turned into something more than that. Remembering my dream made me wonder and fear what was next.

…Could he be a mate?

I blinked and watched Terrorsaur's face intently with a sense of qualm, trying my best to keep quit so I wouldn't disturb him. I realized, just as I watched Terrorsaur's neutral face while the red mech slept, how aesthetic and _gorgeous_ he was. His features were entirely relaxed, making him look almost angelic, and then the doubt and fear stirring in my mind turned into a tornado of thoughts. We had not even been properly dating - at least I did not think so. Neither of us had referred to our relationship in that sense - and the thought of tying the knot with him frightened me. Unless it was meant to happen of course but, honestly, thought frightened me more. If there was a higher power like Primus out there, did that mean that maybe the rate we were molding ourselves into one another's life was planned? I was afraid to find out.

Terrorsaur stirred, the corner of his mouth twitched, and his optics brightened. He inclined his head to look at me and we stared at one another for a very long time. Another one of our unannounced staring contests. My eyes locked with his scarlet ones and I had to break the contact when I thought having him as a mate. I looked down, staring at the wall past his face, and he reached a hand up to stroke my abs. "You okay?"

"Wazzpinator just tired," I replied. I nuzzled the side of my head against his scarlet helm and listened to the sound of falling rain. "Wazzpinator just has a lot to think about."

Terrorsaur did not respond, but I felt his gaze on me for a long time. I did not have to look up at him to see the conflict stirring in his eyes to know he was doubting too.

It had been another week or so later - with no more attempts at proper interface or any alternatives due to our embarrassment on the subject - and we got even closer. We went out to Tanna nearly everyday when we had the immediate chance and then we started to share quarters often, though we were in his more than mine. After we habitually returned from curfew, we would typically retire to Terrorsaur's room. His berth could not accommodate two mechs unless they were on their sides - front to back - and unusually close. It honestly did not matter to us. For the most part, he usually held me from behind when we slept.

His arms would snake around my torso lovingly and he'd rest his head in the crook of my shoulder. His breath would condensate on the back of my neck in hot spurts that would slow when he entered recharge. I would listen to him for a good portion of the night before I would finally fall offline myself. Then there were other times where _I_ would hold him. His pterodactyl beast-mode's head was a hassle to get around - I could imagine he felt familiar about my wings unless I folded them against my back - but it felt dreamlike nonetheless. Terrorsaur was taller than I was by a few inches, but he felt and looked so _small_ when I held him. My scarlet star had a tendency to curl into a ball often, never really looking comfortable with his legs extended all the way out from him body like I did, and it made him seem to much more fragile then he really was. He would occasionally fall asleep before me and it would leave me to think about what was happening to us while I was temporarily alone in the dark.

Unfortunately for the both of us, I did not have time to come up with an answer as to what we were going to do. One day, we were both nearly killed. Mainly yours truly of course, but it was a day that changed the both of our lives forever.

Terrorsaur and I had been sent out on a recon mission to the north where the physical aspect of our pairing first began to come into play. The both of us did not have very much to do other than freeze our tails off but finding Tigertron at least gave us something to do. The white tiger mech was at a radio tower he had set up to keep communications with the Maximals while so far away from the _Axalon_. For my partner and I, it felt only appropriate that we take him out. Terrorsaur and I swooped in for a kill and dodged the shots the older of the Maxi cats shot our way. I was not hit though, which made me slightly paranoid. Usually when I was not shot down right off, it meant the universe that hated me had something else _far_ bigger in store. Regardless, my wingmate and I managed to knock the communications tower right on Tigertron's hide. The machine was destroyed, though Tigertron lived.

Terrorsaur dive bombed him, letting one of his shoulder cannons reveal themselves from his shoulders. I mentally sniggered at the warhead that revealed itself Painted like a sort of shark with hotrod flames, its printed eyes glared out at its intended Maximal target. If there was one thing that Terrorsaur was good at other than piloting, it was digital designing. I had first seen Terrorsaur working on the printed warhead during one of the nights we had extra duties and were not able to go out to Tanna. I had entered the code to his quarters - after he so graciously gave it to me several nights prior - and had seen him rewiring a missile to be a custom fit for his cannons.

He merely shrugged it off when I asked him if it was something that was going to explode in my face. "I don't even think it's going to work," he started nonchalantly. "I just wanted an excuse to design something."

"Digital art?" I razzed and sat down on the berth to watch him work. Terrorsaur sat hunched over his workbench while he wired the projectile in the light of his desk lamp. "Wazzpinator did not know Terror-bot did that."

He shrugged again. "I went to school be a graphics designer back on Cybertron," he muttered. He finished up with the missile's essential parts and got to work with sealing on the already printed design. I wondered how he had made it to begin with - I did not see a printer attached to his computer - so I was planned on asking him later. It was completely unnecessary when it came to getting the weapon to work, but it was nice to have anyways. He spoke up again after sometime. "I couldn't come up with the money to support my education in college though, so I had to drop out. Piloting was my only choice for a career since most of the others had Predacon bans. I did not need much training either, so it worked out okay."

"But Terror-bot was not happy with it," I mused. I crossed my legs and my wings twitched out of reflex behind me.

Terrorsaur shrugged. "Dinobot found me through my flying career. He was the one that hired me to be part of Megatron's crew. I wouldn't have met you if I didn't take the job." He was right I thought, and we fell into a silence again before he broke it. "You?"

"Hrm?"

"What about you? Did you have any plans before you got dragged into stealing the _Darkside_ with me?"

I had to suppress the cluster vile memories that made their way into my processor. My mother had been planning to support me with a college education before my father took his and her life in the fire that destroyed my only home. I was not willing to confess to him that I had to frequently prostitute to make money. There had been times as a sparkling that I had taken interest in the sky, however. Even at the age of three by human standards, I was able to name more constellations and galaxies than anyone else I knew. I could point them out too if you let me sit by a window long enough. "Wazzpinator thought about being astronomer."

Terrorsaur had seemed really into his work but, as soon as I said what I had, he stopped and looked over at me. He had already started to apply the print to the missile's sheen surface before he turned away. Now completely exposed to my eyes, I saw the missile sat halfway completed. His face was dark in front of the lamp he was using on his desk and his features were silhouetted in the artificial light. His voice was just as surprised as it was curious. "Astronomy? Really? How many stars are in the Quinesson cluster?"

I told him.

He whistled, slapped a hand against his thigh, and flashed a wide grin. "Wow. You didn't even _hesitate."_

I shrugged, apathetic with myself. "Wazzpinator had that memorized since he was sparkling."

Terrorsaur shrugged back. "It's still impressive. What about on this planet? Do you recognize any constellations?"

I shook my head no.

He shrugged again. "Aw well. It doesn't matter I guess." He turned away to go back to work before he stopped. He inclined his head back towards me slightly, his face still blotted out from the light behind him, and he softly spoke up. "What stopped you from being an-?"

I razzed and cut him off. I was not going to admit to him that my parents were dead. "Same situation Terrorsaur got into."

This, of course, was seemingly the end of it. Terrorsaur had gone back to pasting the print on his rocket for awhile before he stopped to look over his work. His face twisted with whatever was going through his head at the time and I strode up to him on an impulse I could not figure out. Terrorsaur had looked up at me, contemplating my face, before I gingerly bent down and kissed him. Before I could figure out what we were doing, I was kissing down his chest and positioning myself over his codpiece. He dug his heels into the ground to keep his roller chair from moving when he bucked and his grip on the desk with his right hand was strong enough to cause mild indentations. His left hand switched back and forth from his armrest to the back of my head and his moans, though not enough to cause an overload of my own, were art for my audios.

Back at present though, the missile Terrorsaur had worked hard to make was fired and shot past his shoulder with increasing speed. My scarlet star pulled away at the last click, pivoting upwards and nearly shooting straight into me when I passed to circle around the Maximal below us. Tigertron had to leap out of the way to avoid getting hit by the midair torpedo. The missile collided with the snow covered ground and Terrorsaur looked disappointed when the warhead only sputtered meekly instead of exploding. My wingmate was a far better artist than an engineer apparently. That claim was even more evident when one fin on the missile's aft fell off the flank of the weapon.

Tigerton lifted his head and I put my stinger blaster on automatic without even thinking.

I aimed for Tigertron at first, seeing a chance to get him in his distraction, but then I saw the missile embedded in the snow and aimed for that instead. One of my stingers collided with the rocket and it went off with a bang, exploding and sending Tigertron flying towards the edge of a cliff face. The ground suddenly started to fissure and fracture with loud groans and resonating cracks. I was not all too sure whether or not it was from the explosion or the earthquakes that frequently rocked the area, but Tigertron barely had enough time to get off the splintering face before it broke away. He got to his feet and staggered for the side of the cliff that was still stable and, as the piece that broke away fell, he leapt and grabbed the side of the cliff to keep from falling to his death. The attempt at self-preservation went in vain however. Tigertron lost his grip and fell straight through a dark cloud passing underneath the mountainside.

I had already flown around to get to Terrorsaur's side - he flashed me a grin, congratulating me for my last cycle save - and I whopped happily when Tigertron vanished from sight. The tiger's scream faded and he was gone. _"Success!_ Maximal _destroyed!"_

Terrorsaur had suggested we retrieve his parts to prove to Megatron that we managed to kill Tigertron. I whopped again in response, claiming I got dibs on his head. High off our victory, I buzzed past him and Terrorsaur called back that the cat's head was going to be his. _"Hey!_ Its mine, bug face!"

I razzed over my shoulder at him and transformed to my beast-mode. Diving after me, he followed suit by switching to his own beast-mode and we scanned the ground for the tiger. As fate had it, he was nowhere in sight. Aggravated, I asked where the tiger's parts could've possibly been. He fell right in this area - I saw him fall myself - but none of his parts littered the ground. There was not even an indication that he had crashed.

Beside me, Terrorsaur looked upwards towards the dark cloud looming overhead. His eyes were observant when he muttered quietly to himself. "We saw him fall into that cloud…" My partner watched the deep gray mass a second longer before he flapped his wings hard and regained altitude, flying up towards the now obviously out of place cloud. I noticed the flying puff of moist, freezing air was far too low in altitude to be normal. I told him to wait up and I flew after him.

There was an ominous air around it. I did not like it in the slightest. I voiced my opinions when we entered the dark form. The icy bitterness of frozen condensation that stung my wings made my voice tremble slightly. "Wazzpinator does not like this. Something wrong."

Terrorsaur said nothing. Whether or not he felt the same way was beyond me because there was a sudden brightness.

The misty fog parted and there was a massive floating island. Trees swayed in some sort of imaginary wind and a large tower sat in the dead center of the isle. A pristine lake that reminded me greatly of Tanna's sat in the vast island by the tall obelisk that rested within the center. I flew out ahead, Terrorsaur slowing behind me in awe while I stared in amazement. The last time we'd ever had an encounter with the aliens involved the standing stones, but _this_ was something new altogether. I had to presume this was the aliens' work anyways. An entire island ecosystem, hidden from outsiders' views, sitting within a massive dark cloud had to be the work of an outside force. There was no way in the _Pitt_ the isle could have formed naturally.

Terrorsaur gasped. "Waspinator…"

I could not come up with anything to say in return. I flew upwards and ahead, cautious and awed at the same time by the stunning view, but then that view was compromised when a pulse blast suddenly shot out at me. It hit me square in the shoulder and sent flying backwards with a razzing screech. Regardless, I knew who it fired the shot before Terrorsaur could ever move into position to cover me. I shook the blow off and transformed, swooping in to attack Tigertron. With all due respect, the striped cat ran and dove behind the nearest rock he could find. He had positioned himself at the furthermost edge of the floating isle closest to us and, despite the fact he had cover, he was still outnumbered two to one. My training kicked in and I swooped down with Terrorsaur audibly shifting to robot-mode behind me. Terrorsaur fired his shoulder cannons, Tigertron fired, and I countered the cat to back up Terrorsaur. We went back and forth like this for no more then ten clicks before it all went to the Pitt.

I looked up and saw something glowing gold in the island's distance. I stopped firing my gun and, after giving the light a critical look, I spoke up. "Uh, Terror-bot?"

He stopped shooting as well and he inclined his head to look towards me. Tigertron had stopped shooting from behind his cover two clicks earlier, leading the both of us to believe his weapon was suffering through a quasar jam, and my scarlet wingmate seemed incredibly inpatient. "We can't stop now! If we do, he might get another change to fight back!"

"_Look!"_ I insisted. He did, and this time I could see the glow emitting from the obelisk being unmistakable now. I was sure he saw it too - judging by the way he gasped, I was sure he had seen it - but then it shot out at us.

A massive gold beam from the obelisk's pyramid top blasted at us. It made a wailing, alien sound as it whooshed through the air straight at my partner and I. Off guard and taken aback by the beam zooming towards us, neither Terrorsaur nor I could bring ourselves to react. The screaming of the beam spiked as it got closer and, nearly a whole click after it shot at us, I could see it plainly headed for Terrorsaur. Fear lanced throughout my systems but it was far too late to react.

The blast hit Terrorsaur square in the chest. My scarlet star screamed in agony.

My partner was knocked back, having completely lost his equilibrium, and I looked back towards his falling form. Horror erupted through my systems and I would have screamed for him if a second wailing shriek had not pierced the air. It was from the weapon again, this time firing for me. I had no time to dodge it by the time it was mere nanoclicks from hitting me. I was also hit in the chest and all my systems failed at once. My radio blew a fuse, my balance center was severely damaged, and the blast itself _burned. _

I was sent sprawling backwards with a screech. I tumbled through the air and was back inside the cold clouds before I could judge exactly where I was. I would have called out for Terrorsaur, both to call for help and make sure he was alright at the same time, but I could not find my voice to do it. Making any sort of sound impossible, my throat seemed to swell around my vocalizer and I tumbled through the freezing air like a comet bound to smash into the earth below. Such an impact would kill me for sure but I could not access my flight gear to stop my uncontrolled descent.

I was going to _die_.

The thought made my spark lurch inside its casing painfully and the first thing to come to my mind was Terrorsaur. How would he react when he saw my smashed remains? I knew damn well there was no chance he would get killed from this but I knew there was I chance that I could and more than likely _would_. After all, he was still _Terrorsaur _while _I_ was still the universe's favorite punching bag. He'd have to pick up my pieces with the thought I'd never wake up again even if he put the parts in the CR.

Grief pulsed through my systems. Then my spark flared painfully in my chest, though this time actually resonating from physical pain despite the fact my spark did not seem to have suffered damages. It caught me off guard but I did not have the time to dwell on it. I heard a familiar, squawking screech somewhere around me. "WASPINATOR!"

"_TERRORSAUR!_" I could not tell up from down or left from right, but I saw a flash or scarlet and then I could tell which direction I was falling. Terrorsaur swooped underneath me and had caught me, yes, but only one of his two internal antigravs was working. He could not stop our fall because I had been plummeting too fast and he could not properly fly. From what I could immediately see of his face while he slowed out fall, it was scuffed and burned black in several places. The sight of his pale features being marred by the alien weapon made my spark pulsate with pain again - this time being emotional - but his scarlet star eyes glowed as though they had remained untouched.

Then I realized, for the first time since I had known him, I had called him by his actual name.

The ground zoomed closer and the both of us were helpless to avoid the crash that followed. We landed in the snow, still mildly soft from the blizzard that had passed sometime earlier, but all the wind was knocked right out of me. I landed hard on my side and Terrorsaur had to let go of me. I cried out, hitting my head hard against a firmer patch of snow and bouncing slightly, but what bothered me most was that I did not hear Terrorsaur cry out when we impacted the ground. I rolled to my right twice before I landed on my chest. The burns there flared brilliantly but I did not have the breath to cry out. I had no idea where Terrorsaur was now.

I sat up slowly two or three cycles later, my optics blurry from tears. I was not crying, but both my optics had somehow sustained heavy enough damage to make them water. Either way, it was evident that I had spoiled my eyesight. A round in the CR would be able to fix it I supposed, but then there was the matter of being able to get to a CR chamber first.

I spotted a patch of red against the snow lying several feet away. Icy wind blew across the snow, making some of it blow over Terrorsaur's still form. He was not moving.

I watched his prone body with rising terror before I struggled to get to my feet. The burn on my chest pulsed in agony. I cried out and fell over into the freezing snow again. My chest stung from the pain making my whole body ache painfully and I struggled to get up. _"Terror-bot!" _My voice cracked and I half crawled, half staggered when I had the resolve to pull myself up on my legs. For the most part, I dragged myself towards my wingmate.

Because he was so aesthetic, the burns that marred his body looked even worse on him than on me. It was my own personal opinion, though I was sure anyone sane would have agreed with me. His arms were sprawled out ahead of him and he was laying face first. Despite the fact he had been hit by the beam on his chest, the superheated air from the blast managed to burn his whole back either a sooty shade of ebony. It even burned right through the leather patches of his hide in places. Circuitry was revealed on his sides and back in about ten different spots but, on top of all the damage, he still did not move. I was too afraid to reach forward to shake him at first.

"…Terror-bot?"

When he still did not respond, I tossed all caution into the wind. I reached forward unsteadily and took him by his shoulder, giving him a firm shake. His body lolled somewhat, but he still did not move when I stopped shaking him.

My spark sank.

I gave him another firm shake. "T-Terror-bot, please wake up…" I squeezed his shoulder again, desperate for some kind of response, but I got nothing. Panic bubbling underneath my already thin grip on reality, I shook him with all my force_. "Terrorsaur!"_

And there I had gone saying his full name again. I wouldn't have realized I had called him by his real name if my voice had not sounded so terrified.

Something twitched underneath my hand and, mere moments later, I felt Terrorsaur move slightly. I thought it was me at first but then I stopped and saw he was trying to sit up. Quickly, I turned him over onto his side and he rolled the rest of the way onto his back. His face was burnt somewhat but it was also far paler than usual. He coughed and sputtered, taking in a wheezed breath, and he broke off into a loud hacking fit. His chest rose and fell drastically and I suddenly realized he was having immense difficulty breathing. Without preamble, I moved forward and repositioned myself so I was on my knees before reaching underneath his back with one of my arms. With the rest of my strength, I sat him up and held him there so he could regulate his own intakes. I took my other arm and wrapped it around his shoulders, hugging him loosely to my own battered body. Terrorsaur's breathing had gotten better a few cycles later, but he shuddered in a constantly violent manner from the cold.

He coughed and his voice trembled when he finally had enough breath to speak. "I _fell…" _

The way his voice rose an octave with his last word, instinct made me gently squeeze him closer to my body. I tried to not put any more stress on his superstructure then there already was but I could tell he was too shaken to care. He shuddered from both the bitter cold and icy fear he had to endure. I buzzed comfortingly to him. "Terror-bot is okay. Terror-bot is fine…" I said things like that to him for about half a cycle before he seemed to calm down. His breath still came out in wheezes and it would occasionally turn into a gasp - he had probably hurt his oxygen intake valves either when he was shot or when we crashed into the snow - but some color _did_ seem to return to his features. I knew he was terrified of heights, specifically falling, but he took it like a real trooper.

Then, at the same time while falling and living one of his worst nightmares, he had saved me. That took courage and, whilst he had owed me his life from the incident involving Airrazor, I now owed him mine.

He strained to look at me, his optics bright and his voice still slightly shaken. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, feeling myself shudder when a cold wind brushed over my badly damaged chassis. "Wazzpinator not be if Terrorsaur had not saved him."

For the third time, again, I had called him by his full name. I was not sure if he had noticed the occurrences before, but he picked up on them now. He looked at me with a surprised look and he blinked. That was when I noticed that, while the rest of my scarlet star's face was burnt and scraped, his crimson ones were undamaged. "You… You called me Terrorsaur."

I blinked, feeling the moisture built up in my optics go nowhere. My vision was still blurry and it irked me just as much as it stung. I nodded shakily when another cold gale caressed my body with a harsh hand. "Wazzpinator knows." I tried to smirk at him as much as I could, though the fact my mandibles made the motion impossible and that I hurt too much kept me from doing so. Instead, I let my voice take on a slightly more joking tone. "Maybe voice glitch going away?"

I knew damn well that was not the case and I was sure Terrorsaur thought the same thing. Before I could divulge further into those thoughts however, Terrorsaur shifted slightly and suddenly arched in pain. He had somehow shifted his right leg and something beneath the armor made a loud pop. It sounded like his knee, maybe even his foreleg for all I knew, but it was obviously very painful. He threw his head back, gnashing his teeth, and the shriek he had stifled turned into a high pitched whine. A click later, the all too recognizable blue electricity from an energon surge danced around his body. I had one another click after that as well. I set my mandibles to keep from crying out but, regardless, I could not stop the loud razz of pain that came from my vocalizer.

When the surge temporarily stopped, I found my voice and spoke up. "We'zz has to get to _Darkside_ to warn other Predacons. Megatron will want to know about cloud and flying island. If we'zz don't…" I did not want to voice the fact that, even though we survived the fall and initial attack from the obelisk, the reality that we could freeze to death was very real. A quick diagnostic proved this point. Warning lights flashed in the corner of my vision that my mech fluids were crystallizing rapidly. The fact we were in robot-mode on a rich in raw energon planet made things worse. I looked my partner over, trying my best to ignore he horrible wounds, and I razzed again to get his attention. "Convert to beast-mode so we'zz can fly back."

Terrorsaur whimpered. His head was still thrown back and his jaw trembled slightly. "I can't move my leg…"

"_Try,"_ I begged. The burns covering my body made my whole frame blaze in pain and I knew that either one of us turning to our respectful animal forms would be agonizing. It was absolutely Primus damn awful and I felt as though someone had dumped a few gallons of acid over my frame.

Terrorsaur grit his teeth hard, gnashing them enough so that it looked like he was putting his dentals under a good hundred pounds pressure, while he strained to get into a sitting position. His chest was dark with the third degree burns there - he had been hit directly in that spot - and it was a miracle that he had such tough armoring. Had he not, I doubted he'd be able to talk or let alone move. Terrorsaur sat up, looking like he was in a great deal of pain, before he squeaked in pain and nearly fell back again. I held my hand out behind him to keep him upright.

My scarlet star squawked low - a long, rumbling sound - before hissing. "Terrorsaur, _terror-ARGH!"_

His body twisted around to form his beast-mode and he fell forwards, trembling in pain when he took on his alternate form. Gods, his injuries were still horrific to look at. His beast-mode's face was stained black from soot and a large, gaping hole ran up over the left hand side of stomach and up his pterodactyl chest. It was his wings that were worse off though. They were so badly scorched that they were scalded white in places. Some of the scarlet leather skin missing towards the wingtips and it tore at my spark to see him as hurt as he was.

He looked at me, eyes narrowed with pain, and he made another low squawk that resonated from the deep back of his throat. "Your turn."

I mentally braced myself, though I was not too sure about myself in regards to physical. "Wazzpinator _terrorize!"_

I could not even bring myself to voice my pain as it ripped up my abs and throbbed inside my chest before lashing back outwards into my limbs. I fell forwards into beast-mode and lost my footing, sprawling out against the snow in my alternate form. A pounding headache ripped through my head from the burns there and my wasp abdomen stung with pain. All six of my legs refused to move. Terrorsaur ducked down next to me and nudged me with his beak. "Waspinator? _Waspy-"_

"Wazzpinator fine," I managed to groan. I inclined my neck to look up at my partner but had to turn my head away to avoid looking at his injuries. Instead, I glanced behind me towards my thorax and I saw that the black stripes on my abdomen had been completely burned off. The air that became superheated when the obelisk fired its beam at us had burned the color right out of the bright paint from my body's waist down, turning the bright yellow a sickly shade of the same color and leaving dark black burns where the ebony stripes should have been. I still saw myself as being far better off than Terrorsaur was though.

Terrorsaur suddenly shoved his beak underneath my wasp form's chest and tried to lift me up, attempting to get me onto my six feet. "C'mon, we need to get back and run a round in the CR chambers. Can you fly?"

"Can _Terror-bot?"_ I asked in a disbelieving tone. Knowing the horrid shape his wings were in and knowing one of his antigravs was busted, I honestly doubted that he could even manage to lift himself into the air. Through his aching and pain, he managed to weakly smirk at me.

We both had difficulty getting off the ground at first - I had fallen when I tried to take off the first time - but we managed to get up into the air not too long afterward. The wind bit at our hides like a merciless animal with no kindness towards the badly damaged, but we struggled onward regardless. Energon surges were no longer a _major_ threat to our health but, because of the open circuit injuries my wingmate and I had, it was still possible for us to suffer from energon radiation even while we remained in beast-mode. That was something that worried me, but it turned out that exposure to energon was the least of our problems. The exhaustion that began to wear us down became an even more serious issue.

Terrorsaur's flight capabilities had begun to lag and, eventually, I could see he was having immense difficulty staying in the air without dropping right out of the sky. No more than ten cycles since I had noticed Terrorsaur's flying become tired, my own started to get bad. He was worse off I suppose, seeing as very little remained of his wings. On another note altogether however, neither of us could fly straight. I kept dropping altitude and speed, flying erratically because my wings and my own antigravs sputtered and nearly failed on several occasions. Terrorsaur on the other hand was too worn to even keep his equilibrium evened out.

Whereas it should have taken us thirty cycles to get back to base if we were undamaged, it took us two full, agonizingly long megacycles. Our flying was at its worst then and our energy levels were in the single digits. If he had arrived any later, one of us would have dropped right out of the sky. Chances were that neither of us could survive another crash landing.

Terrorsaur spoke up next to me, his voice somewhat slurred. _"Finally._ I… I feel like my energy center is going to crash."

"Hang in there," I urged with a voice that was equally strained. "We'zz almost back."

We were there two cycles later. The both of us glided into the _Darkside's_ lower hanger and we both crashed into the ground as soon as we made contact with the floor. It was a minor crash, nothing compared to slamming into the ground when the island weapon's beam hit us so we lost our ability to maintain flight, but I thought I was going to drop into unconsciousness when I finally rolled to a stop on my side. A great deal of nudging was needed on Terrorsaur's part to get me moving again. It took another three cycles for us to limp into the blissfully warm control center.

When we entered, I could tell that Megatron was trying to hide a horrified expression. The way his face visibly knotted and the fashion his jaw was set gave this away easily. I knew that he had to have seen us approaching the base in our condition from the security cameras, but even I had to give him the benefit of the doubt now that he was seeing us in person. Our injuries looked far worse in the flesh than they did on a monitor screen I supposed.

I limped heavily in my beast-mode with all six legswhile Terrorsaur staggered forward. When we managed to make it to stand before Megatron, a quick glance around the room revealed that only Scorponok and Blackarachnia were present. Tarantulus was no where in sight and the newest potential recruit, Inferno, was still running a round in the CR chamber. Before I could contemplate further, Megatron asked in a demanding tone if Tigertron had done this to us. The tyrant was aware that the Maximal was the only one in the far northern region but I did not blame him for doubting a usually peaceful mech could inflict such horrendous damage.

Megatron seemed to be addressing Terrorsaur and, to keep my partner from being put underneath the spotlight in an already stressful situation, I intervened immediately. "No-no! Not just Tigertron!"

Terrorsaur cut in to back me up, seemingly afraid to leave me alone underneath Megatron's aggravated attention. "I-It-It was um… A _monument!" _

I cut back in as well. I looked back up at Megatron and nodded my head quickly, making my head spin somewhat when I made the movement. "Yeah! Monument!"

He demanded that we explain ourselves. His face was hard and his optics unwavering, but Terrorsaur was the one who jetted back in and took over. I was surprised by this seeing how Terrorsaur hated being put on the spot around the tyrannosaur, but then I presumed Terrorsaur knew how exhausted I was. I appreciated the fact he took over on my behalf greatly, so I contributed by nodding occasionally as Terrorsaur went into the long tirade on how we were gunned down the obelisk onboard the flying island. Throughout his explanation though, I could clearly see he was beginning to sway on his feet more. No one else seemed to notice except for myself and, surprisingly enough, Megatron. The fact the mauve and ebony Predacon leader was paying such close attention to my wingmate worried me some, but it did not worry me nearly as much as watching Terrorsaur's energy completely hit rock bottom.

By the time my scarlet partner was finished his explanation, Terrorsaur was incredibly unsteady. As soon as he mentioned that he and I barely made it back, he had completely lost all his strength. He squawked weakly, rolled his head back for a moment, and then he swayed too far to his left. I broke he fall thankfully, but he had turned into complete dead weight. Without the strength left to support him myself, I made a high pitched buzz and I collapsed on my stomach when he landed on my back.

Megatron had turned away to mull over the information given to him, but I found myself too distracted to care about what he was saying to himself. Above me, Terrorsaur whimpered meekly and wheezed. "I can't move…"

There was a hint of fear underlining his voice which, again, was something that greatly worried me. I felt him shiver by a hair's breadth and I buzzed my wings in an endeavor to console him. "Terror-bot be fine. Wazzpinator here, 'member?"

And that simple statement seemed to alleviate his fear tremendously. He squawked tiredly and seemed to go even more lax on top of me, almost leading me to believe that he had fallen into recharge. His harsh breathing indicated otherwise, so I kept cooing back to him comfortingly like I had after Airrazor just about murdered him. Despite his weight weighing down on me, I found myself genuinely comfortable the more I thought about it. Although my injures were very much painful to endure, having Terrorsaur's reassuring form against mine made it so much more worth to withstand.

Megatron abruptly turned back to us. Terrorsaur noticed first and he lifted his head off mine so he could look at our tyrant leader. I razzed just barely, a sound that probably evaded everyone's audios but Terrorsaur's, and Megatron told us to get to the CR chamber. His face was knotted again like he was trying to hide something, but I knew he was trying to conceal the surprise he felt while seeing the position my partner and I were in. It came to mind that the sight was probably very intimate looking the way Terrorsaur and I were making physical contact. Without a word, as soon as Megatron had finished speaking to us, Terrorsaur lost his strength once more and collapsed on me again.

I buzzed from surprise once more, but I managed to speak up quietly a moment afterward. "We'zz has to get into CR. Can Terror-bot still not move?"

His voice was a quiet tenor. "I'll try."

While Megatron turned to Blackarachnia and Scorponok, all the while giving them orders to investigate the dark cloud that supposedly held our mysterious flying mountain, Terrorsaur and I had picked ourselves up. We never went to robot-mode due to the obvious that it would have been excruciating to do so. The nearest CR was not that far away thankfully enough, but we had to fly to get onto the lift which, all things being considered, was near impossible with our energy charges being so low. Hauling ourselves up with some difficulty, Terrorsaur collapsed on the platform as soon as he and I were on it. I hit the switch to lower us in with a burnt claw and the lift groaned with the additional weight of two mechs instead of the standard one. Either way, the platform began to descend into the tank when I finally sprawled out next to Terrorsaur. With an almost sort of instinct backing up my next movement, I wrapped a protective, twisted beast-mode leg around his shoulders while casting a burnt wing over him as well. Terrorsaur responded by turning his head and shoving his beak under my beast-mode's head. He mewled quietly when he did so, signaling that he was comfortable with the position.

In a matter of moments, we were in the healing solution of the tub. The sedatives immediately took over and my systems started to shut down for repairs. Terrorsaur sagged beside me and he was in deep recharge even before I was. Moments prior to my own systems going offline for repairs, I managed to groggily glance down at his face. The liquid of the tank prevented me from seeing him all that clearly, but his features were relaxed so much so that it made invisible claws tear at my spark within its own casing. His injuries - even while already starting to heal - made him look horrendously gruesome. The fact his beast-mode was probably one of the least attractive things in the Beast Wars beside my own alternate body did not make his appearance any better.

Anyone could have looked at him and called him the most hideous thing in the universe, but I suddenly found I loved him so much more than I could handle. I abruptly realized did not care what Megatron or anyone else thought.

I loved him.

…Oh gods, I _loved him._

I was unconscious moments later, and I dreamt that Terrorsaur and I made love first on the mountain face of Tanna-16 and then inside of his quarters. The lighting in both places was a brilliant scarlet and it outlined his form perfectly. Being caught in the crimson rays, I looked scarlet too. He nuzzled and cooed to me in a reassuring, comforting tenor while he rocked against me. I cried out with every sway, begging him not to stop, but he never did. He called me by oddly fantastical pet nicknames every so often, referring to me as "love" and breathing the word against my audios in hot breaths, but I did not mind the addresses at all. In fact, I absolutely adored them. My pleas for him to continue gratifying me never fell on deaf audios and, the whole while, he held me in his arms. His grip never faltered and he never let go.

Just as the dream neared its end, I felt my chest plate open and the glow of my green spark clashed with the red lighting. The combination of luminescence made the room turn a bright gold and Terrorsaur gazed down at my spark while continuing with his gentle ministrations. His face was flawless, his jaw set and with almost no sweat clinging to his features - on the other hand, I was covered in condensation from both the session on Tanna and in his room - but I thought I saw a shroud of bleach white feathers wrap around me. It's still strange to me, but I swear to this very day that he had a pair of angel's wings protruding from his back. In the integration of human and Cybertronian culture, the concept of angels had migrated over as well.

Terrorsaur might have been my scarlet star, but he was also my guardian angel too. One that I would never _ever_ be willing to replace.

Wrapping his wings around me like a protective shell, he slipped his strong arms around my shoulders and hugged my lax body to his own. His eyes locked with mine and, keeping me in his embrace, I heard the hiss of mechanisms moving and I saw his chest plate parting out of the bottom corner of my bliss hazed vision. The dream ended before he could reveal his spark.

The dream ended too soon for my liking, but the thought of wanting the fantasy to continue disturbed just as much as it caught me off guard. Revealing one's spark to another was just as intimate as interfacing - possibly even more so - and Transformers usually only exposed sparks to each other when they were preparing to forge a bond. I briefly remembered the other dream I had - the one where I saw the green and red spark combine to make a single gold one - and the memory made my mechanical brain jolt in its casing.

…Were the dreams a prelude of what was to possibly come? I was too afraid to even _try_ guessing the answer.

My systems whirred to life and, upon waking up completely, I was greeted by Terrorsaur. My scarlet star was nudging me with his fist as the tank lift rose up from the fluids to reintroduce us to the rest of the world. As my vision cleared and readjusted, I saw him smirking down at me with his scarlet eyes sparkling. "Hey, rise and shine Waspy! Megatron is sending us back to the island."

And indeed he was. As soon as we were out of the restoration chamber, he ordered us to head back to the flying mass so we could back up Blackarachnia and Scorponok. We took off from the base while flying closer together than we normally did. I had not realized our close proximity it until we were nearly out of range of the _Darkside_, but Terrorsaur said nothing in regards to the closeness. I razzed and looked over at him in an attempt to break the silence. "Could Terror-bot and Wazzpinator _try_ not to get blown up this time?"

"I think that would be a good idea," my partner mused in an offhand tone. He scanned the air and ground below us when we gained higher altitude. "You alright?"

"Good as new," I beamed. I buzzed and did a front flip in midair while we kept flying, but I momentarily surprised myself when I did not loose altitude or speed. I astounded myself tremendously but I realized it had to have been Terrorsaur's presence that kept myself from looking like a total fool. Even subconsciously, I wanted to impress him and live up to what he was. He was a scarlet star after all, and I was still the grounded land dweller he shined over. Still, deep down, I wanted to strive for him and reach up as high as I could. Not to outshine him, absolutely not, but so that I could be closer to him than I already was. It sounds foolish now, but Primus, I _loved_ him. I loved him more then anything and I knew I would do anything for him if he asked me to. What we had was good, true, but I wanted something more than that. I… I wanted…

With the sun shining down on our backs and the wind pushing us up higher into the air, I decided right then and there that I wanted him as a bondmate. Without preamble, without hesitation, without regret the more I pondered over my decision. Perhaps the dreams _were_ a prelude, but then there was the chance that it was my fantasy and not his. There was a very real chance he did not want me like that. The depressing thought made my spark pulsate painfully.

My computer abruptly beeped, breaking my thoughts. _"Attention: Units Optimus Primal and Rattrap in sector. Proceed with extreme caution."_

Terrorsaur heard the monotone femme and seemed to snap back to reality, almost as if he had been zooming out in a similar manner I was. He squawked and shifted to robot-mode. "If we fly higher, we can avoid them. I doubt they could possibly be headed were we are. There's no way Tigertron could contact the Maximals through that cloud cover."

I razzed. "Cloud cover?"

He looked over at me and raised an optical ridge. Shaking his head a few clicks after, he pivoted upwards and I squeaked when I suddenly found that I had transform and pivot with him in order to keep up. We dove upwards into the air and went about a hundred or so feet higher than the norm. It was colder up there, but I supposed it would be best if we wanted to avoid Optimus and Rattrap. Either way, Terrorsaur continued. "You know how our communication links won't work through high amounts of energon radiation? The high radiation acts like a thick barrier. The thicker the barrier, the less likely you can get a signal through it. It works the same way as heavy cloud cover or… I don't know. Maybe heavy rock or something. If you were in a cave deep enough, you might have a tough time trying to get a communiqué out."

"Like in rubble?" I asked outloud randomly. It seemed like a safe enough question to ask, namely because I knew there would be a chance I would get caught in one someday. As lucky as I was, I was bound to probably end up being buried under rocks at some point or another. There was already the one occasion with me being pinned under that boulder but Terrorsaur luckily managed to get me out without a problem. If I was caught in a landslide per say, he might not be able to help or even _find_ my sorry aft. It was discerning that I would possibly have problems trying to get help if I could not contact anyone via my radio.

He nodded. "Like rubble."

The subject on rubble seemed to end there but, in reality, it was only going to be a matter of another megacycle or so before we would brush up with death again. This time the brush would be so much closer to deactivation, catching both my scarlet star and I pinned under twenty thousand tons of flying island debris.

Terrorsaur was musing again. "…Optimus is flying in the same direction we are. He's not changing course."

"He knows about island?" I looked over at my partner with an expression that was confused and surprised. "How? If cloud cover would keep radio signals from going through, how could Optimus know?"

Terrorsaur abruptly looked over at me, optics ablaze. The look that flared in his scarlet eyes gave the answer right away and, despite myself, I snarled. In unison, we both hissed Airrazor's name like it was the most foul thing on the face of the universe.

"How did she _know?"_ I said loudly in a razzing, exasperated tone.

"She probably saw us flying into the _Darkside's_ perimeter," Terrorsaur responded, a good amount of hate literally dipping off his voice. He made a frustrated sound. "She probably saw us coming from the north and known that Tigertron was there."

"And Bird-bot saw how hurt we wazz," I cut in. "Bird-bot know Tigertron not up for totally slagging botzz."

"So she reported back to the _Axalon_ knowing something else got to us. Now Primal is going to investigate and the Maximals will find the flying island!" Terrorsaur cut back in with a hiss. He sneered and screwed his face angrily. "Dammit, I should've been able to _detect_ her!"

"We wazz hurt," I tried to reason with him. "Wazzpinator would've had better chance of picking her up on scanners anyways. Wazzpinator was not as bad off as Terror-bot! And even is we'zz did detect her, Wazzpinator and Terror-bot would be too hurt to stop her!"

Terrorsaur made a squawking caw. "It doesn't matter. We need to cut off Optimus and make sure he encounters some… Turbulence." Terrorsaur looked down towards the ground, seemingly scanning the earth below aimlessly, before he spoke again. I could see him trembling just barely though. It was not too obvious - you really had to scrutinize him greatly in order to see his miniscule shudders - but it was apparent he was upset. I did not blame him being angered over the fact Airrazor had ratted us out concerning what we ran into, but there was something else about his anger that made me do a double take.

My scarlet star suddenly screeched in pain.

Terrorsaur's optics suddenly went wide and his hands flew up to grasp at and cover his chest. He hit the brakes on his anti-gravs and I zoomed past him unintentionally. I slammed my mental foot down onto my own brakes and I skidded to a halt midair.

"_Terror-bot!" _I whipped around and flew over to him, stopping before just as I came up to him. I hovered in front of my scarlet star and felt my spark pulsate fearfully.

He was hunched over, optics squeezed shut, and his chest heaved with a great amount of effort. It was almost as if he could not breathe and I panicked over the thought that there might be something obstructing his airway. His teeth were gnashed hard enough that I could hear the metal of his jaw groaning under the stress. Just as easily as it began though, it seemed to stop. His chest stopped heaving with the effort of trying to take a breath and he blew out air through his nose loudly.

I went to prodding him verbally, still taken aback by his sudden expression of pain and afraid to touch him in fear that I would hurt him. "Terror-bot? _Terror-bot!"_

He made a gasping noise. "I-I'm fine. I'm…" Terrorsaur sputtered and his chest heaved one more time. He returned back to reality a moment later. My scarlet star opened his optics, brightened them, and then looked up at me with a hazy look. His breaths came out as heavy pants. "I'm… I'm fine."

I shook my head, not buying what he was saying to me. "Slag no. Wazzpinator take Terror-bot back to base. Something wrong-"

"I'm _fine,"_ he insisted. He straightened out slightly and looked himself over. He did not look at me square in the eye when he glanced back up in my direction though. That was something that worried me some. My scarlet star continued. "It just felt like a little spark surge. Nothing serious…"

In hindsight, a spark surge was similar to a human's minor heart attack. Whilst a spark could be put under more stress than an ordinary human heart, this meant minor 'heart attacks' were very much harmless to Transformers. Surges would happen only when energy inside the spark chamber is built up and has nowhere else to go, leading it to gradually build and erupt from the casing and lash a surge throughout the body. They were painful, true, but otherwise common with Transformers.

Except Terrorsaur seemed like he was in more pain than he should have been. While smaller spark surges were harmless, larger ones could be deemed life threatening. By the way Terrorsaur reacted, his surge had been larger than normal.

I pressed on. "Terror-bot-"

"Look, I said I'm okay," he said much more reassuringly now. The way he emphasized on saying the words gave me the momentarily expression that he was maybe trying to convince _himself_ he was fine, but he did not linger on the subject long enough to let me evaluate his way of saying it. He looked up at me before looking back down at himself as if to evaluate his appearance. "See. No damage."

"Terror-bot _sure?"_

He gave me a playful slap over the head. Anyone else, had they been watching, would have deemed the gesture perhaps violent or ill minded. The metal of his hands clanked against my head and I razzed outloud, but it was a friendly gesture all the same. His hand lingered for a split click longer than it should have, leaving the contact intimate in my eyes. His optics glowed before he switched back into beast-mode. I followed suit when he spoke again. "Yeah. _Positive._ Now, c'mon! Let's go get us some Maxis!"

We were not the ones who necessarily got them though. From my perspective at least, they got _us_. We engaged Optimus Primal with Rattrap riding him, my scarlet star swooping in first from Optimus' right while I stayed out of sight for a moment longer. Terrorsaur flew up into the air, looking about ready to go into a midair flip, but he switched to robot-mode and fired on the ape just a click later. Two shots pulsed from Terrorsaur's shoulder cannons but they missed Primal completely. As the Maximal leader attempted to fly away - and further north I noted - I came up behind him. I transformed quickly, doing a front flip when I shifted from beast to robot, and I quickly increased my speed to keep up with Optimus. Terrorsaur, shooting his larger sniper now instead of his shoulder weapons, dove in and flanked my left.

We stopped shooting for a moment when Terrorsaur's weapon needed to recharge. Though Optimus knew we were still in pursuit, he stopped trying to evade us. Knowing Optimus was distracted, my partner gave up on his sniper and holstered it into his back subspace. His cannons withdrew from their holsters and he shot. His aim was dead accurate.

Optimus fell and Rattrap lost his grip on his commander's back, plummeting straight at the ground. Terrorsaur went after him immediately, cackling the whole time while I continued to engage Optimus. I could not keep track of my partner during the time he left my side due to my occupation with the gorilla, but it did not matter. Optimus shot at me several times and I had to quickly evade with what agility I had. Zooming around the blasts exploding midair kept me from getting scrapped right off, but then I made the mistake of attempting to fly straight away. If I could get him to follow, there would be the chance Terrorsaur would have the time to kill Rattrap and get one Maximal off our worry list. I had misjudged the fact that laser blasts had a tendency to move through the air silently, and I was hit in the back with laser fire a moment later.

Loosing control of my equilibrium, I screeched and spiraled towards the ground. When I regained my balance - thankfully well before hitting the earth below - I looked up to see Rattrap actually _riding_ Terrorsaur while my scarlet star was in beast-mode. The rat's gun was holstered against my crimson companion's head. Rage bubbled up inside me immediately, but it was followed by a waterfall of reason. Though he was taken hostage, Rattrap wouldn't bother to shot at Terrorsaur even _if_ my partner tried anything. Rattrap would surely fall too, so I occupied myself by silently following them instead.

Upon entering the northern region, the mass of black looming clouds was passing in between two mountains. Optimus flew into it, Rattrap and Terrorsaur trailing behind after him, so I followed suit. My nerves were wracked with nervousness - after all, the obelisk in the center of the island's plain had nearly killed me and my scarlet star - but the looming tower did not fire at us when the fog finally parted. I continued to keep pace behind, but I watched intently as Optimus began to descend down to the ground. I recognized Tigertron and Airrazor standing in wait immediately and a momentary burst of anger made me razz. Airrazor looked hurt though, so it partially eased my aggravation.

Terrorsaur swooped down underneath a tree branch and knocked Rattrap right off his back. My partner gave a cackling squawk in a victorious fashion and my anger left me completely, replaced by relief that my partner was alright. Terrorsaur flew some ways away and I followed after him while keeping out of scanner range of the Maximals. I spotted his red form touching down under the cover of a thin forest and descended downward after him. The beginning of an energon surge began to tickle my insides and I quickly shifted to beast-mode before it could hurt.

Light from the strangely illuminated sky peeked through the trees and cast shadows over Terrorsaur when he turned to me. He sounded somewhat breathless. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Wazzpinator got shot down. Wazzpinator had to follow behind. You?"

"I'd rather not even go there," he groaned. Oddly enough, I was sure I could have smelled the too tall aroma of garbage resonating off him. It was humorous at the time and I giggled compulsively when he screwed his face from the smell he was obviously uncomfortable with. "I smell like slag."

"Slag _never_ smellezz that bad," I joked. He cast me a glare but, without much else to stop me, I burst out laughing. I fell onto my side, curling into a ball and rolling on my back while holding my sides with all six legs.

He squawked, throwing his wings out in an exasperated gesture that radiated frustration. "That's not funny! I was taken _hostage!" _

I did not think the hostage part was funny either, so I stopped cackling and shook my head. "Now what? We'zz go find Spider-bot and Scorpion-bot?"

"Looks like it," my partner murmured quietly. He looked upwards, almost as if he was trying to look past the trees, and I recognized what he was looking at when I followed his gaze. Just barely peeking through the leaves of a nearby tree was the purple pyramid top of the tower that had nearly killed us some few megacycles earlier. Terrorsaur grumbled somewhere behind where my gaze was locked. "That thing attacked us as soon as we came here the first time. Why doesn't it do anything now?"

"Maybe we'zz set it off last time," I offered. "Somehow anyways."

"I don't like it," he grumbled in a low voice. He spoke up louder a moment afterward. "Alright, we'd better go look for the arachnids. Scorponok has his useless tendencies and Blackarachnia is a glitch, but they're smart enough to figure these things out on their own. They'll know something we don't about that thing. Hopefully speaking at least…"

We moved quickly, taking back off into the air and flying upward so we could attempt to see them. Terrorsaur squawked, pointing out two moving figures on the ground below the base of the tower, and a quick scan showed that they had two Predacon energy signatures. We flew off in their general direction but, not even a moment after we started to go after them, Terrorsaur spoke up again.

"Hey, Waspy?"

"Hm?"

"When Rattrap was falling, I let myself freefall too. Did you see that?"

I had not, but I was greatly surprised regardless. I looked over at Terrorsaur, making the gears in my neck squeal when I did so, and I regarded him with an astonished expression. "Terror-bot did _what?"_

"I let myself freefall," he said, this time louder. "And, I mean, I didn't freak out over it. I don't know why, but it just didn't bother me. When you were falling earlier today, after I caught you, I didn't mind falling then either."

"Terror-bot looked all freaked out though."

"Because I _was,"_ he admitted. "But it was over the fact I didn't _mind_ falling. That's never happened to me before. I'm not afraid to do it right now either." Terrorsaur suddenly dropped some altitude next to me. I razzed in surprise, nearly jumping out of my own casing when he did it, but he regained his regular flight position beside me. I squeaked in surprise and he cackled in a victorious sort of manner. "See! I could do that all day and not be bothered by it!"

I smiled at him as best I could in beast-mode. "Great job Terror-bot."

He grinned back. "Couldn't do it without you, love."

My fuel pump sputtered and my spark fluttered. I remembered my dream immediately. "Eh?"

In all truth though, I had not caught what he'd said _exactly_. He had said it so quietly and near discreetly that I could not catch it with my audios, but Terrorsaur expression went black when I asked. He looked lost. "Huh?"

"What did Terror-bot say?"

He looked lost still and, a moment after some mental deliberation with himself, he said he could not remember. I knew this was bull but I let it pass. I still had no idea what it was that he said to me until I decided for myself sometime after the island incident. I stuck to the address "love" ever since. I did not mind it in the slightest. It gave me a ray of hope that my scarlet star cared for me just as much as my subconscious image of him had.

Our radios blared to life. _"The fliers will try to take our triumph for their own. They _must_ be stopped. I will blow them from the sky!" _

We came to a screeching halt just as we were in a hundred or so feet of the tower and fifty or so feet above its tipped point. Below, Blackarachnia stood with her gun aimed at us while Scorponok stood erect behind her - he looked surprised on my half, so I presumed he had nothing to do with Blackarachnia's sudden boast of treachery - just as Terrorsaur and I looked at each other. I thought it was too much of a coincidence that Blackarachnia accidentally left her radio on for us to hear, but Terrorsaur did not seem to have the same idea. He stuttered, taken aback, and he sneered in rage. "Backstabbing bug! I'll vape you _first! Terrorize!" _

With a mighty caw, Terrorsaur swooped down fifty or so feet, putting himself in level with the mauve pyramid on top of the obelisk and twenty or so feet closer to it than before. He drew his pistol and fired once with a cackle, but Blackarachnia suddenly jumped out of the way. Scorponok was thrown aside from the explosion - I flew down to Terrorsaur at this point to join my partner - but my unease turned to dread when I saw the top of the tower turn from its original shade of violet to a dark gold. A whirring, gradually building and erratic beeping sort of noise followed before the air was hissing again.

A beam shot out of the tower and a scenario played in my mind immediately. Blackarachnia and Scorponok were trying to get into the obelisk, but they discovered that our very own energy weapons were the culprit for setting off its destructive tendencies. They also knew having it fire before they could blast their way into the base would give them the chance to get in without being shot at themselves. If it went off before they blasted their way inside, the monument wouldn't have enough time to recharge before they used their own weapons to break in. Being as treacherous as she was, Blackarachnia decided to use my partner and me as bait for the alien construct.

Terrorsaur probably would have blinked if he had the time to but, for the most part, he stared ahead in disbelief. He then cranked his neck to look up at me while I hovered beside him in beast-mode. I turned my head to face him as well, my own expression blank with horror.

Terrorsaur squeaked, his face far paler than usual. "Oops."

The searing agony of the beam hitting us the second time was not nearly as bad as the first - we were not blown backward like when we were originally attacked - but it was just as painful all the same. The both of us screeched from the agonizing heat before our antigravs and equilibrium failed. I was momentarily glad that Terrorsaur was not afraid of falling anymore, but I still had the ability to yell at him for getting us into this situation again. _"Pterodactyl idiot!"_

Luckily for us, the island's lake was positioned beneath where we were falling. I had only a moment to look down and see the crystal clear water rushing up to meet me before I slammed into it headfirst. I blacked out, though not before having the air knocked right out of me and feeling water invade my mechanical lungs. I was lost in the darkness of unconsciousness before Terrorsaur's voice pulled me free from its grip sometime later.

"…_Waspinator!_ Waspinator, come _on,_ snap _out of it!" _

He gave me a light slap on the side of the face and I coughed hard from the access water in my systems. Light splashed across my vision and my sight slowly returned. Evidently, feeling the hard ground underneath me, I realized Terrorsaur had dragged my body from the water while I was unconscious. I felt my partner roll me onto my stomach and he thumped hard on my back trying to help clear my airways. Once my breathing returned to normal, I blearily looked up at him and razzed. "Wazzpinator feels like he went through disk washing machine…"

"Save it. We have bigger problems," Terrorsaur said grimly. "My gravs are busted and the self repair is taking forever. Then…" He looked up.

That was when I started to pay attention to my surroundings more. The sky was aglow with a brilliant orange and the hissing of the tower resonated from overhead. I looked up and gaped in horror at the sight of the golden beam streaming above in a brilliant display. Light from the tower jetted out in all directions and aimed upwards slowly, moving to the epicenter of the sky just above the pyramid's point. The beams suddenly vanished and a single blast of white light shot up in a pulse. It disappeared in the island's misty shield and the clouds abruptly disintegrated. The inky blackness of the uncovered night that cast across the island made the alien device look menacing. It was silent for a few moments and everything was still.

I would have asked Terrorsaur what the frag was happening, but I found myself distracted. In the corner of my vision, pasted on the black canvas that was the sky, I saw a scarlet star. Its hue sidetracked my thoughts for a brief moment. I was torn back to reality when the obelisk top hissed again, this time before going dim and shooting huge pulse blasts. The night was lit with lights of the explosions the blasts made they hit the ground.

Terrorsaur grabbed me by my scruff and gave me a good tug before letting go. _"Get up and RUN!"_

I did not need to be told twice. I tried to scramble to my feet but I dismally found that I could not fly. Running in my beast-mode was pretty much impossible due to the way my legs were positioned - my alternate form was more orientated for crawling rather than bolting - and I cried out when Terrorsaur got up and jogged a few feet from me. "Terror-bot!"

I was momentarily afraid that he wouldn't hear me but, regardless, he did. He turned and, seeing I was still down, he cursed loudly before the ground exploded just a few feet behind him. With a screech, he was flipped forward and he fell heavily onto his chest. Afraid he was hurt, I cried out seeing him fall. He pulled himself back up either way though, scrambling onto his feet and running the rest of the distance back over to me. He fell to his knees, slipped his arms underneath my body, and he grunted when forcing himself to stand. He held me in his arms and his grip never faltered. "Hold on!"

I did and he turned on his heel, running like a bat would fly out of hell. The explosions behind us sent dirt and gravel flying up in every which direction and Terrorsaur narrowly made it a hundred or so meters from the obelisk before he tripped on the lone root of a bush. With a squawking scream, he fell and dropped me. I rolled twice, stopped myself before I could roll a third time, and I looked up to see Terrorsaur trying to get onto his feet. He squeaked and gnashed his teeth.

"Fraggit, my _ankle!_ _SLAGGIT!"_ He tried sitting up and squawked with pain when he tried to. Thankfully for us, the explosions from the obelisk's assaults did not seem to be too focused on the area we had stopped at. Behind where Terrorsaur had fallen, the tower began to rise up higher on its base and wind buffeted my flank. The trees swayed with the movement and, with a start, I realized that the island was turning around and changing course. Where it was going however, I found that I honestly did not care.

I crawled over to Terrorsaur, twitching my antennas and looking down at his ankle with concern. "Terror-bot?"

"It's busted," he hissed through his teeth. He strained to get onto his aft and I could clearly see that his foot was twisted around at an angle that I knew should have otherwise been impossible. He took in a ragged, unsteady intake that was just as breathless as it was shaken. "Oh Primus, it… It's completely busted. I-I can't walk."

"Is okay. We… Wazzpinator and Terror-bot find some other way to get somewhere safe," I tried to comfort in an otherwise vain attempt to keep him from panicking. The pulse blasts stopped shooting at the area we were in directly, shooting overhead us and about fifty yards away. I presumed it was going to shoot in our direction sooner or later so, while I did not want Terrorsaur to panic, I knew damn well he had a good reason for doing so. We were going to get hit if we stayed out in the open. "Its okay, Terror-"

There was an explosion somewhere behind us, louder and with a different noise than the blasts making the ground erupt around my partner and me. A loud hissing noise not like the sound of the hot beam hitting the air resonated from the obelisk. I looked past Terrorsaur and he cranked his head back to look at the tower suddenly be engulfed with bright yellow electricity not that much unlike the static that danced around our own frames during an energon surge. I saw the figures of the Maximals fleeing - Airrazor picked up Rattrap by his shoulders while the femme was in beast-mode just as Optimus made a grab for Tigertron - and then the wind changed again. This time stronger the gale was stronger.

Terrorsaur trembled. "Wha-?"

I suddenly noticed the tower stopped shooting clicks before the wind changed and I felt the ground wobble underneath me. It was almost like an earthquake, but the ground still seemed undamaged aside from the smoldering craters that were cast across the landscape. That and the fact there were no tectonic plates anywhere underneath the island made earthquake theory obsolete right away, though the term still seemed to fit all the same. I was jerked to the side and I cried out, but Terrorsaur reached out and snatched my beast-mode's right front forearm before I could roll away. His other hand made a grab for the bush connected to the root that tripped him. He held on tightly and we both cried out when the ground jerked up beneath us.

"Waspinator, _hang on!"_ Terrorsaur tightened his grip on my arm and I stared up at him with horrified optics.

The ground stopped wavering, yes, but then it started to tremble as though we _were_ living through a seismic quake. A branch on the shrub Terrorsaur was gripping snapped and I saw him scramble to grab another one. Abruptly, the ground began to tilt onto its side. Terrorsaur slipped down the ground because of this and he blindly tightened his grip on the bush tenfold. The shrub's branches held under his vice hold just barely - I heard the twigs snapping over the abrupt roar of rushing wind around us and, with horror, I felt air rush past my face at a rate of speed I was in no way comfortable with.

I shrieked. "Island is _falling!"_

The incline of the ground changed again suddenly, pivoting to the left at an angle that made the both of us cry out, and I thought I heard more branches snap on the hedge plant Terrorsaur gripped to. There was _another_ sudden tremor - honestly, it felt like we hit a bump - that nearly caused me to let go of Terrorsaur's forearm. While my grip was momentarily lessened, Terrorsaur's tightened to keep me from slipping away from him. I looked back to him with fear ridden optics and his flashed both protectively and fearfully.

A loud groaning resonated from all around us and then the ground began to tilt dangerously. I heard dirt being unearthed and roots snapping from the bush Terrorsaur had and I felt gravity start to pull back on me. Terrorsaur's face turned paler than usual and I dared to look behind me.

The ground was barely off angle from being completely vertical and I saw the ground below the island come into view. Air began to rush past my face in a powerful windstorm and the ground below started to rush up towards us. The rate of speed increased and the island _was _falling. The whoosh of air rushing past us turned into a loud, menacing roar that made my audios ring painfully and I screamed. Terrorsaur did to, but he kept his death hold on the small shrub for dear life. He was not afraid of falling in general anymore, but this was something new altogether. If we crashed, we would most definitely be killed.

"_WASPINATOR! HANG-!_"

The island crashed.


	3. Act III

**iii**

The huge roar of wind died, but the massive ten category quake that shook the ground was far worse. Rocks erupted upward from the end of the island and flew overhead like asteroids. The bush finally gave way and was torn from the ground, letting Terrorsaur and I fall. He lost his grip on me, I lost my grip on him, and we both shrieked while we fell. Debris exploded all around us and I slammed into something on my side, hitting my head hard enough to make me loose awareness. I blacked out for two clicks before I saw a flash of battered scarlet land in front of me as more rubble descended upon us. What little light there was flickered above and a noise that reminded me of a tree getting struck by lightning boomed over my head. Wood was ripped from wood and then something smashed down on top of me. Moments following, something else smashed down onto my back and it drove whatever had fallen on me prior deep inside my gut.

Agony.

Sheer, blunt, smashing _agony_. I had never screamed louder my entire life.

In the dark - lit only by the crimson hue of Terrorsaur's still bright optics - my vision turned to static and barcode from the immense weight crushing down on me. Whatever had impaled me cut through my circuits and frame further, making my screams turn into banshee shrieks. From what very little I could see through my failing, flickering sight, Terrorsaur recoiled at the volume of my piercing screams and snapped his head up to look at me. Immediately, clicks after he jumped in place, his own face tightened and he braced his jaw. There was no doubt in my mind that he somehow hurt himself too. His facial expression seemed to give away he was trying to hide his own pain but, regardless, his attention was back on me in less than a click. His scarlet stars flared with fear and protective worry - just like they had while the island was still in one piece - and I could read the look there even while I suffered.

He was horrified that I was seemingly seriously hurt. I did not blame him for the terror he felt, of course. I was usually never this bad off. _Ever._

I certainly was then.

"_PRIMUZZ! PRIMUZZ, SLAGGIT-"_ I broke off screaming in agony again and I thrashed about wildly, instinctively attempting to escape the pain crushing down on and through me. Terrorsaur was frozen in place, watching me in muted horror even when I jerked my head up to attempt arching my back. I screamed again loudly and my voice cracked. Before I could control myself, my shrieks broke off into a series of loud sobs.

Terrorsaur, snapping himself out of his horror struck daze, reached toward me with his hand. "Waspinator! Waspinator, _what-?"_

I could not control my vocalizer or manage my pain - something I was usually very good at doing - and I tried to arch away from the crushing weight and searing agony again. Something in my abdomen lurched, making my mechanical stomach knot and my throat burn, and I gagged on it. My throat was on fire with the liquid copper feel of processed energon. I sputtered and coughed violently, lying flat on my stomach and hacking up my own mech fluids. Terrorsaur looked horrified enough before, but his expression was downright _mortified_ while he watched me cough up my body's equivalent of blood.

"Oh,_ Primus,"_ Terrorsaur moaned fearfully in a tight voice. He tentatively reached forward, trying to find some way to help, but I instinctively tried to flinch away from the contact when he lightly touched the side of my wasp form's face. I sputtered again and gasped, feeling the sticky hotness of my own fluids stinging the inside of my mouth, but his other hand shot out to grip my head and stop my motions. I tried to get away from him, thrashing my head entirely out of my loop, but Terrorsaur held fast. _"Stop it!_ You're going to hurt yourself even-"

As if to finish my partner's statement, the weight shifted and made whatever had impaled me shift with it. It moved to be at an angle, causing the pain to heighten to the point where I found it nearly unbearable, and I choked on the scream that tried to break free from my now aching vocalizer. My body confiscated by making me sob loudly instead and I bawled piercingly. It was a fleeting thought, but I wondered if my cries could possibly be heard through the tons of rubble piled over my partner and me. Even if it were the Maximals and not our Predacon allies, maybe we could be rescued… Alas, I was about as lucky as a horseshoe hung upside down. With that luck, I was sure, I was going to be doomed to die. The universe apparently hated me anyways.

And Terrorsaur was going to die with me. That was the worst part of it.

Terrorsaur tightly held my head in his abruptly trembling hands and he pressed his scuffed face against the rocky prison floor underneath us. His voice, rasped from yelling, was rasped in an almost pained manner. "Primus, what've I _done?"_

I found it strangely humorous he was blaming himself for what happened to me… to the both of us really, except I could not respond. I screamed, writhed, and coughed up my own body's energy reserves for two entire megacycles. I had never been in more pain in my entire life. Even when the boulder landed on me that one time we ambushed Optimus, that pain was nothing compared to this.

Two full megacycles after it started, Terrorsaur's hands turned into claws while he held me against him and his voice rose in torn panic. "Oh Primus, this is all my _fault."_

I didn't think it was. I cried and tried to find my voice through the smothering agony that doused me like moist dirt over a fire. "No-not Terror-bot's f-fau-fault-"

His voice rose to a shrill octave, cutting my pitiful consoling off. _"I shot the tower!_ Dammit, the thing was set off by energy weapons and I didn't _see_ that until it was _too LATE!_" Terrorsaur's voice cracked and, for a brief moment, I thought it was a sob. I dismissed it as me mishearing things. "Waspinator, I'm so, so _sorry."_

I could not respond. My body found the strength to scream again and I did exactly that.

Though I really cannot remember what trailed after our conversation and my second bout of agonized shrieks - I had long since slipped into an energy deprived delirium - I apparently kept trying to fall asleep for the next megacycle. Despite the fact I was confused and exhausted, I was glad Terrorsaur wouldn't let me. If I had, there would have been a very real chance that I would never wake up to see his scarlet stars staring lovingly into my own eyes ever again.

Terrorsaur groaned in discomfort somewhere out of my sight while keeping his breathing slow and shallow, attempting to spare our air supply within the closed off cavern. His claustrophobia had kicked in every so often - I could hear his distress when he occasionally started to hyperventilate - but the darkness that shrouded us seemed to make him forget just how closed off we were. When it did kick in, he merely held his breath until the attack passed or subsided in intensity so he wouldn't use up all the oxygen. Before I really started to loose my grip on reality, I had feared several times that he died from his lack of breath. I recalled starting to weakly cry once, but his loving caresses against my battered face indicated that he still lived.

He seemed to think that he did not need oxygen as much as I did. _I_ was the one dying.

I took heavy, tediously labored breaths that were slow and painful to intake. From what Terrorsaur told me after the incident involving us being trapped in our cramped cell, the thought of running out of oxygen did not scare him as much as me falling into recharge with my gruesome injuries. My breathing had once slowed to such a dangerous level that my systems tried to go into recharge and Terrorsaur had to shake me awake furiously with his arm. Delirious, I had razzed at him in aggravation and tried to slip away a second time no more then fifteen cycles later. Terrorsaur had snapped me out of it again, but I actually tried to bite at his hand in delirium when he did.

My scarlet star did not care that I had tried to bite him though. He just did not want me to go to sleep and not wake up.

From what Terrorsaur could see with the dim light his red optics produced, I was lying limp. My head was lying on its side and my optics were dull. My mandibles were ajar slightly from the last time I gained enough strength to cry, though that had been a long time prior. Despite my all too dead appearance, I breathing a fast enough to signal my systems were still online. Even if just barely.

My breath hitched slightly, catching in my sore throat like thorns from a rose bush would catch on a gardener's gloves. Terrorsaur reached forward with his hand and stroked my front left leg, careful not to touch the spots were the leg itself was broken. My oxygen intakes dragged out like someone had beaten my throat in. In the dark, I saw figures beyond my conscious mind dancing in the blackness where Terrorsaur's brilliant scarlet eyes did not catch. The figures, mocking and dangerous, seemed to slink back and forth against the inkiness that even the luminescence of my scarlet star could not light. I probably should have been afraid of those figures, but I could not find my fear to voice it. There was only the exhaustion with the need for sleep and the tiredness that reflected in my voice when I groaned my partner's name. "T_-Terrorsaur…_"

Terrorsaur seemed to perk up slightly. His optics flashed and he watched me through the dark intently. "…Waspy?"

I made a small whining sound, desperate for him to hear me out. Maybe if I could convince him to let me just get a moment's sleep - maybe only a cycle or two of recharge - I would be able to get some of my energy back. I did not think that being in the blissfulness of unconsciousness for only a moment or so would threaten my life more than it already was. I hoped badly that he would allow me just that moment's relief. "Wazzpinator zzleepy…"

Terrorsaur's eyes flashed with mental anguish brewing behind the red optical glass, but he brought his hand away from my leg to stroke my mandibles caringly. The movements when we did this were gentle and done so in an attempt to not provoke me into trying to bite him again. His own voice was tired, but it was stern and loving at the same time. "You have to stay awake."

I whined loudly, almost like a prelude to something along the lines of crying, and I would have reminded myself of a sparkling if I hadn't been delirious. I shifted slightly, trying to be comfortable, but there was not any way I could be unless I was allowed the sanctuary of sleep. "Wazzpinator… _can't…_"

My systems began to whir again. A sign my body was trying to go into recharge for the third time in the megacycle. It was a much lower and rumbling sound than it had been the previous two times I had nearly slipped offline, which meant that my systems were beginning to crash… Soon enough, Terrorsaur wouldn't be able to keep me awake and I would just slip away into oblivion. The ebony figures moving in the blackness crawled closer towards me, wondering if it was safe to approach and swallow me in their darkness, and the scarlet light from Terrorsaur's eyes seemed to fade. The blackness was like a veil - warm and welcoming - though the dark figures that moved in their shadows would have frightened me if I had the energy to be afraid. They slunk at me like dangerous felines stalking towards a drugged mouse with the inability to flee.

Terrorsaur's voice broke through the inkiness, his voice almost faraway sounding. "Waspy? Waspinator…"

The light from his scarlet stars almost completely faded and, suddenly, I was merged with the obscurity of the shadows. It was not quite sleep, though I was almost there. It was oddly welcoming despite the fact I could not see much of the light from Terrorsaur's eyes, and the inky gloom filtered over the red light to make it a dark maroon.

…It was odd, but my spark abruptly flared in an agonizing manner. I did not think of it then but, ironically, I later recalled that Terrorsaur's spark flared in a similar manner when we headed for the floating island the second time. It was too much a coincidence for the occurrences to not be connected somehow. I was not jolted right awake again - I was too tired - but the way Terrorsaur was shaking me woke me up completely.

"Waspinator! Waspy_,_ _slaggit_, don't go offline! _WASPY!_"

I whined meekly - a sound that could have come more commonly from a sparkling than a young Predacon adult - and my face felt hot with frustration. I had been so _close_. The floating shapes my mind made me hallucinate moved back into the darkness, avoiding the sacred glow of my partner's optics lighting my dark with his stars, but they waited patiently for another chance to strike.

Terrorsaur was not going to give them another chance.

My scarlet star leaned forward and kissed the top of my head, placing his hands on either side of my beast-mode's face, and he stayed like that against for perhaps a cycle of so before responding. "Just hang in there, Waspy. You'll be fine. Just stay awake and hang in there a little while longer."

"Wazzpinator is going to die," I weakly murmured. I wanted to cry badly, but I was too tired to shed anymore tears than I already had within the past three megacycles that we had been trapped.

Terrorsaur's hold on me tightened ever so slightly. "Not as long as I still live."

Even though his stance over me blocked out some of my view of the light that came from his eyes, I watched the rays through what little I could see. The light pierced through the dark like a lighthouse lighting a ship's way back to the harbor and, with my delirium still largely overriding my logic circuits, I thought of myself as a ship lost at sea. The dark entities moving in the dark storm that was our cramped prison were sea monsters and I was a battered and broken vessel sinking in raging waters. While I was the ship though, Terrorsaur was my lighthouse. His scarlet light lit the way back home, keeping the monsters at bay as well as attempting to give me a sense of hope. Even if that hope was futile, I felt angered at myself that I could possibly consider going to sleep and not looking in the direction of the scarlet light.

…I was suddenly filled with a sense of determination to keep afloat in the raging maelstrom as long as possible. I steered my boat towards the light, fighting the rage of the whooshing waters, and I tried to move towards it like a moth would flutter about aimlessly around a burning flame. The monsters in the dark chased after me but my scarlet star scared most of them away.

I kept my ship from sinking for another megacycle. By then though, I was nearly finished.

Refusing to recharge lead my systems to, just as I suspected, suffer from major malfunctions. My main logic center crashed about twenty cycles earlier and, since then, my struggle to live had become oddly eventful. Once, one of the hideous creatures lurking in the dark lunged when Terrorsaur's optics dimmed from his draining energy. The tyrannosaur, hawk like fuzor lurched at me with its beak wide and its teeth gleaming in what little light Terrorsaur had left to offer. I had fallen backwards onto my aft and struggled valiantly to keep the thing from biting into my form so it could drag me away, but it left the moment Terrorsaur's optics brightened again. He gasped when he did so, letting the scarlet light from his star like eyes scare the beast away, and I continued my struggle to keep from sinking in the raging turbulent storm. Terrorsaur's optics had darkened once more and, even though the monster did not come back right away, Terrorsaur's own systems sounded as though they were trying to go offline. There was not much I could do to stop it, but my partner snapped himself awake either way. He almost slipped off again and he shook himself back to reality before he could go offline.

He had long since lied down, letting his head lay against my own on its side, and he stared out ahead of him with dim optics. His breath was slow, shallow even, and I knew that we were at least three fifths away from being finished in regards to breathable oxygen. His left arm rested by the side of my head like a crude pillow while his other hand rested near lifelessly against my beast-mode's paw like appendage.

"…Terrorsaur?"

Terrorsaur's optics flashed dimly, a dark scarlet in the already dark blackness, and he looked towards me with a tired expression of his own. He was not delusional like I was - he was not hurt nearly as bad - but the weariness on his face made him look stellar cycles older before his time. The scarlet mech inclined his head to look at me with somnolent eyes and he spoke softly. "Yeah?"

I was not sure where it came from, but it felt incongruously appropriate. I managed to be as blunt as I was delirious. "Wazzpinator lovezz Terror-bot."

His face contorted slightly. Had he been fully awake and with energy, the expression would've perhaps been agonized. His throat seemed to bob with a heavy gulp and his voice trembled. "…I love you too."

His hand gently slipped underneath my beast-mode's own and he squeezed gently. Had I had the energy, I would have most definitely squeezed back.

Another megacycle passed. Then another. By the time we nearly reached a third - we had probably been buried for seven excruciatingly long megacycles at that point - something above us groaned.

Terrorsaur looked up slowly and blinked groggily at the darkness above. His optics gave a weak glow - far stronger than my own optics though, but it was evident that he was exhausted - and he had managed to wriggle towards me further within the past three megacycles. I hung onto reality by the skin of my teeth, just scarcely keeping awake, and my breath came out in weak, gasping breaths. I could not do as much as twitch an antenna without something in my back giving and flaring with a fiery pain and, to make matters worse, it had started to smell. My mandibles hung ajar and, for the past hundred and eighty cycles since I last spoke to my scarlet star, I had bled from my maw. The cavern was filled with the coppery, hot soldered odor of processed energon and Terrorsaur was seemingly trying his best to not breathe through his nose. If he did, I presumed he was not sure whether or not he'd be able to keep his fuel tank for purging everything he had in there. Whatever it was that had run through me, it was forcing what little reserves I had to bleed from the inside of my shell and out through my mouth. If going to sleep or loosing oxygen was not going to kill me, my death was going to be at the hands of internal bleeding.

Terrorsaur rasped next to me. "Did you hear that, Waspy?"

I strained to hear then but, obviously, the noise had ceased by then. What little I did hear of it was a low groaning, almost as if something had shifted above us. My hazy mind was filled with hope while my voice was an almost inaudible whisper. "Someone come to zzave us?"

Terrorsaur watched the low ceiling over our heads with a thoughtful expression. He scanned the rock above us, his tired eyes mustering a thoughtful look to them, before tapped his right hand against his upper chest where our communication modules were placed. It was free in comparison to his left - that one was underneath my head to support my dead weight - and he cleared his throat as best he could. "Computer, activate communications link. Try to penetrate the distress beacon through the rocks and patch through to the _Darkside_… Scratch that. Try all frequencies, Predacon _and_ Maximal."

A part of me was not all too surprise Terrorsaur was willing to try contacting the Maximals as well, but I was too near unconscious to react. The computer within his body's casing beeped in response and the Predacon program's monotone female voice filtered through the speakers. _"Acknowledged. Attempting communications now…"_

There was a moment of silence. Terrorsaur held his breath and, for a moment, I did as well. It was another few clicks before the computer beeped and spoke again.

"_Unable to comply. Signal incapable of making connection due to physical barrier interference."_

Terrorsaur made a whining growl - something along the lines of a feeble whimper - and his free hand curled into a weak fist. It trembled ever so slightly with his shoulders and he braced his jaw. "Damn it all to the Pitt, _why?"_ He pressed his forehead against the energon stained ground in defeat, making the cavern dark when he hid his optics from view, but I was too tired to keep track of anything moving in the dark. Before any black figures moving against the inky darkness could have a chance to come for me again, I spoke up.

"Wazzpinator… Zzorry," I said tiredly. Terrorsaur snapped his head up to look at me, optics slightly lighter than before, and it kept the demons at bay again despite the luminescence being as low as it was. It was enough to keep me safe and I whispered again before Terrorsaur could say anything in response to my apology. "Wazzpinator should have taken hit instead of being stupid and just flying there. Terror-bot wouldn't have to die with Wazzpinator."

His face skewed itself again slightly, a pained expression, and he shook his head. "No, I shouldn't have shot at Blackarachnia to set that thing off. This whole mess is my fault not yours."

I razzed, slightly aggravated despite myself. "Wazzpinator is one with bad luck. If just Terror-bot, he could have avoided getting hit."

Before I could track his motions, Terrorsaur bent his head down and kissed the base of my muzzle, just about where my beast-mode's jaws jetted out of my head and on the seam where the mandibles split. It was a comforting gesture and, despite myself, I weakly nuzzled against it. Both his arms came around my head and held my skull on either side. His voice was low when he spoke, and it sounded almost faraway. "If you were going to die, I'd rather be with you then have to find your body later on."

The amount of emotion underlining his statement made me want to tell him how much I loved him right there and then. As it was, I did not get to.

Something above us groaned rather loudly and, moments later, there was a thunderous crash. A boulder, no more than two hundred feet above us, had been teetering on the edge of a cliff side composed of rubble. It had finally fallen, crashing down on the wreckage of the flying island and smashing any hollow caverns in. The boulder bounced slightly and, this time, it came down right above where Terrorsaur and I were. More importantly, it came down on the boulder already crushing me.

The force of the two boulders slamming into one another caused the one already on me to seemingly increase its weight tenfold. Whatever had impaled me was driven through my battered body at an even further degree - deeper than before - and I was effectively thrown back into full awareness by the assaulting agony that followed. I opened my mandibles to scream and, just for a moment, I was silent. Terrorsaur's optics brightened right away seeing the pain that ripped across my face and, before I lost myself to the intense, unbearable pain sucking away my life force, he looked like he was in pain too. The pain he was plagued with was from watching me suffer.

A horrible, animalistic wail tore itself free from my vocalizer like a beast, wild and untamed, trying to escape the prison of a heavily barred cage. Whatever I bleed that was still in my fuel tank lurched forward and, just as I ducked my head to thrash about wildly, it all bleed through my jaws at once. The odor and congealed taste was near unbearable, though the pain was far worse.

Terrorsaur was screaming at me, a sound I could barely register over my own shrieks. "Waspinator! Oh Vector_ Sigma,_ _WASPY!"_ My scarlet star suddenly sprung his upper torso forward and, before I could try arching my back in agony again, Terrorsaur had forced my head down. He pinned me under his weight, keeping a tight hold on the sides of me head in an attempt to keep me immobile, and my body reacted violently. I body tried to thrash and, unable to do so, my beast-mode's instinct lashed out at Terrorsaur blindly. I twisted my head around and bit down his forearm _hard_. With my own screams temporarily muzzled while I latched on, I heard my partner screech in response and I realized with horror what I did. I could taste my scarlet star's energon - I actually bit down hard enough to crack the armor and pierce the synthetic flesh underneath - but I was too horrified at myself to let go.

The pain kept lashing at me, but I was not confident saying that the tears that suddenly leapt from my eyes were from the pain. It would be a much more accurate thing to say that realizing I hurt my scarlet star was what caused my heartache.

I let go of Terrorsaur and screamed again, though this time bawling as well. Even though I'd bitten him, Terrorsaur kept _holding_ me. I'll admit, it caught me a tad bit off guard that he did not let me go after what I did to him, but another part of me was far from surprised.

Something else rumbled above us, except this time it was lower. Something else had shifted and Terrorsaur's radio beeped.

_"Attention: Distress beacon and radio communications able to patch through. Awaiting command codes."_

The rocks blocking the signal had shifted from the second boulder that crushed down on me, opening a small window of opportunity for Terrorsaur's radio to reach through the rubble. My partner squawked low, a sound that reflected his immense relief, and he opened up the channel and spoke over me. "Terrorsaur to the _Darkside_. Mayday, Mayday man down. Requesting immediate rescue and evacuation."

Terrorsaur paused and waited. Through my writhing agony and shrieks, I did not hear a response. Terrorsaur tried again, though this time his voice had an underlining tone of near hysteria within it.

"Mayday, I said man _down._ Respond! Code black! I repeat, code fraggin' _black_. Waspinator's hurt bad so _respond_."

Again, there was no response. The radio flickered with static and I gasped with a sputtering breath before going into a wild coughing fit. Something suddenly snapped inside me loudly, right from where my back was caught underneath the boulder crushing me, and I lost my breath as a result of the agony. I tried to scream but Terrorsaur cut in before I could let it loose. Whatever hold he had on keeping his cool was lost and he screamed frantically.

"Primus _dammit_, _RESPOND!_ Waspinator's _dying_ so someone answer _and_ _HELP US!_"

The way he said it, I thought he might have been sobbing. I did not think he was - after all, the only time I'd ever heard him cry was when he was delirious with having almost been killed by Airrazor - but the way he had strained his voice was an indication that he had to have cared a lot for me.

Then there was a ray of hope.

"_Terrorsaur! Terrorsaur, where in the Pitt are-?"_

I could only register it was Megatron just before I screeched long and loud again. My audios rang painfully and I tried to writhe in agony again. Terrorsaur held onto me fast and spoke quickly.

"_Fraggit, HELP! _We're trapped under the flying island rubble and we can't get out! Waspinator's _hurt!"_ My partner's voice was an almost incoherent blubber and I was wondering if I was imagining what was happening. Perhaps I was even more delusional than I thought and perhaps I was only envisioning him crying to our tyrant leader. "Oh _Primus_… Primus in the _Pitt,_ he's pinned under at least two tons of rocks and something ran him through. He's bleeding all over the place and… Oh gods, he's _dying!"_

"_Calm down!"_ It was Tarantulus that cut through, his own voice slightly strained. I supposed he was unnerved by my shrieks, and I realized just how _bad_ they had to have sounded if they bothered the mad scientist. The spider spoke up through the radio again, obviously trying to keep his voice from rising an octave in unnerved alarm. _"Where are you now?"_

"_Under the RUBBLE, dammit!_"

"_Where!_"

"In a cavern," Terrorsaur cried. I was not about to go straight ahead and say he was crying, but the way he spoke made it an indication that he perhaps was. Then again, there was a chance I was being delusional and dreaming all this up. Terrorsaur kept talking either way. "I can't move, my legs are pinned, and I can't maneuver enough in here to help Waspinator! Primus, someone get us _out of here!_"

Megatron spoke again. _"Terrorsaur, hold tight. I'm sending Tarantulus and Inferno to assist you and Waspinator immediately."_

I tried to thrash and I gave another screeching bawl. Terrorsaur kept me in his death hold and I thought I heard him sob with a sort of relief to hearing what Megatron said. He trembled all over and his voice shook with. "Thank you. Thank you _so much." _

Before the radio link was fully cut, lava hot pain erupted throughout my entire shell and I screeched out a single word in response to the pain.

_"TERRORSAUR!_"

I spoke it as plain as day, I'm sure of that much, and agony lanced back up my chest and back again. Something shifted above me and something else snapped inside me. I screamed from the agonizing torture and I suddenly ran out of air. I gasped, tried to screech, and I heard Terrorsaur's voice drift in from somewhere before my voice could build up enough strength to become a deafening wail again.

He pressed his forehead to mine and held me tightly. "Shhhhh, Waspy, you're gonna be okay. You'll be okay, love."

I wanted to respond, I wanted desperately to, but then I felt all the weight above me suddenly give more than it had before. Enough so to shut me up.

Whatever it was that had gone through me made something in my back shatter with a loud crack. My mouth went agape and I found that I could not even bring myself to scream the pain. Every servo in my body went on fire in an instant before suddenly being doused with icy water. I recognized it as an energon surge just before I started to seize.

Where my screams had died, my thrashing upped in intensity tenfold. I had never had a seizure before in my entire life, so staying conscious through one was terrifying. I lost control of every servo in my body and, entirely moving on its own whim, my frame flailed about wildly. Terrorsaur kept a hold on me, muttering swears and saying Primus' name over and over again in a fearful, teary tone, and all I could do was let hot tears build up in my optics.

When my convulsion stopped, I did not have the strength to speak. Moisture had spilled down my face and Terrorsaur kept trying to get me to speak. He asked me questions, told me to stay awake, and he kept praying outloud for me to be alright. Even though the pain had left me, the icy bitterness hadn't. What bothered me most was the fact I was loosing feeling in my insect legs. It moved up to touch the base of each of my limbs before I had another energon surge. I had a total of ten over the course of a long and constantly numbing megacycle until Tarantulus and Inferno arrived. By then, I had no feeling below my beast-mode's smashed waist.

There was shuffling above us and, eight full hours since we had been buried alive, Terrorsaur was still clinging to me like the universe would fall apart from under him if he let go. He looked up and stared at the darkness above. From what I could see through my hazed optics in the low light, Terrorsaur's eyes had long since lost their glow. They were barely online, showing his own fatigue, but they were far from unthinking. Behind the glass, he looked deep in thought and he held his breath to listen to the movements above.

There was another shuffle and a low grunt that followed. A muted voice called out somewhere above. _"Terrorsaur! Waspinator!"_

His expression, still thoughtful, turned blank when it went silent again. It was almost as if we never heard anyone speak at all and his expression dropped considerably. There was more shuffling and the all too familiar or rocks clinking against one another though, but he seemed to take it as a fluke. For a moment, I wondered if the rocks above were going to apply more weight on my back and I whimpered feebly.

Terrorsaur cooed at me. "_Shhhhh, _Waspy. It's nothing. You're fine."

Then the ray of hope I saw before turned into a bright light.

A beaming luminescence of white light shone through a hole that was made in the ceiling of the cavern. Small bits of dirt and rock rained down on us but I was too drained of everything I'd fought to maintain. My energy was long since gone even though the reader that usually indicated such facts in the corner of my vision was broken. Honestly though, I had more or less adapted to the thought of dying. It was not nearly as bad with Terrorsaur hanging to me. Still, a voice very much familiar and distant at the same time cut through the dullness that had created a fog in my mind. The figure that had dug the hole moved away slightly and another figure poked his head towards us. It spoke and it took me a moment to register it sounded like Tarantulus. "By the _Pitt_, you two are still _alive!_ We thought that you would have-"

My vision was blurred, though not enough that I could not see Terrorsaur suddenly snap his head in the direction of the light to do what he did next. A vicious, downright Pitt spawned sneer crossed his face and he _snarled_. In the alien light of the two moons that sat against the night sky - something I thought I would never see again while we were confined to our dark prison - Terrorsaur's face was twisted into one of the most feral looks I had ever seen. The bruises, scattered smudges, and cuts that lined his features contorted with his face and it made him look completely ferocious.

I remembered the time I snarled dangerously at Scorponok while I was protecting Terrorsaur's parts after Airrazor nearly killed him. The déjà vu felt far too surreal to be reality. I was sure I was dreaming.

I heard Tarantulus and what sounded like Inferno gasp in response. A gruff, hoarse voice broke through my dull mind again. It trembled with what sounded like borderline hysteria and it was a voice whose owner I did not recognize until he was finished speaking. "Get these rocks off my legs, _right now," _Terrorsaur demanded in a shaking tone.

My vision faltered and black moments before I suffered from another wracking energon surge. An icy black fire licked every inch of my insides like an inferno. The inferno's namesake spoke again and I heard laser fire charging somewhere above me. "Cover your heads, drones."

Without preamble, my vision returned to only have darkness shroud me again when Terrorsaur ducked over me. I heard my scarlet star's breathing in my audio and a small whisper resonate from the back of his throat. _"Please live."_

There was an explosion and I heard rocks bouncing and clattering off the surrounding boulders. The ground shifted slightly as well, though that was really it in regards to change. The weight above me thankfully became no greater than it already was and Terrorsaur got off me. My vision returned and I saw more light this time. Terrorsaur moved and I saw him shakily stand through my obscured sight. His legs were badly dented and scraped - his right one looked like it might have had a small fracture in the superstructure the way it twisted around slightly - and, aside from his already busted ankle, that was it. Terrorsaur was safe. I tried to look up at him, but my body refused to move.

It was something that disturbed me, but then I saw what little I could see of Terrorsaur limp over to me. His feet were just about in front of my muzzle when he spoke. "Inferno, help me with this."

My computer chimed somewhere inside my head. _"Attention: Unit systems in jeopardy. Deactivation imminent within ten cycles."_

Tarantulus spoke up again, though his voice wavered in intensity as if he was moving further away and then coming closer. "Forget about him, he's too far gone. The base is over forty miles away and we'd never make it in time to get him to a CR chamber," the mad scientist said before he paused for a moment. I was sure Terrorsaur was going to speak up, but Tarantulus started up again. "He's dead weight as it is-"

"_Shut UP,"_ Terrorsaur hissed. The venom in his voice was deadly and my vision failed again when another energon surge claimed me. I twitched, seizing again slightly, and the darkness lingered longer than it did before. Exhaustion seeped into my systems again and, by the Pitt, I felt as if I hadn't slept for days suddenly. The tired spells had come and gone frequently before, yes, but this time it was stronger than ever. My scarlet star's voice wavered in and out of my hearing again, distant and faraway in different intensities. "Someone _help me_, dammit."

"_Terrorsaur-"_

Terrorsaur abruptly emitted a loud, animalistic scream. The piercing wail woke me up immediately and my vision cleared slightly. Just as it did, Terrorsaur kneeled and I felt his hands slip past my head to grip the underneath of the boulder weighing me down.

He started attempting to lift it.

At first, it did not go anywhere. This did not surprise me seeing as the boulder had to have been ten times my scarlet star's mass. By normal standards, even _if_ Terrorsaur supercharged himself on raw energon, there would be no way in the Pitt he would be able to lift the boulder. After a moment or two, agony suddenly ripped through my body again. My mouth went agape in a silent scream and I tensed, willing myself to keep as silent as possible, but Terrorsaur kept on. I was positive that he had maybe just shifted the boulder somewhat, unintentionally reawakening the pain in my body - I was sure the boulder was far too heavy for him to lift - just as the pain peaked and I could not help the scream that ripped through my body.

When I did, the boulder felt suddenly lighter.

Tarantulus gasped somewhere outside my hearing and Inferno, I was sure, was staring in surprise. The weight above me felt lighter somehow despite the pain rippling through my frame, and then I heard Terrorsaur grunt above me with determination. I heard him step forward slightly, the weight above me became less and less, and the agony subsided enough that my shrieks were reduced to loud, wracking sobs.

Whatever had impaled me, I could suddenly feel and recognize exactly where it was. This was the moment the agonizing, murderous weight killing me was gone. Terrorsaur he… He lifted the boulder _right off me._

Terrorsaur shrieked again, I heard the mechanical whir of his shoulder cannons unfolding from their compartments, and then there was an explosion. Rocks rained down over me but it was nothing compared to what I had suffered for the past eight unbearably lengthy megacycles. Terrorsaur knelt down beside me again and his hands touched just above my beast-mode's shoulders. It was a gentle gesture, and I could tell he was afraid for me. "Waspinator? _Waspy-"_

His voice, as caring as it was, and the turmoil of what I had gone through over the past eight megacycles finally crashed down on me mentally. With my optics still offline, I tensed and bawled like a sparkling.

Terrorsaur huddled over me and pulled my whole body up into his lap so he could press the side of my head against his chest. My neck was not broken thankfully, that much I could tell, and he rocked against me slightly. "You're alright. Shhhhh, you're fine…"

"Oh _Pitt,"_ Tarantulus muttered somewhere almost outside my range of hearing. "I've never seen anyone lift up something that heavy before. That should have been _impossible!"_

"My Queen," Inferno started saying in the background. "We've located the fliers."

Tarantulus seemed to cut into Inferno's radio conversation, seemingly trying to find something else to do. I was sure he knew well that there would be no convincing Terrorsaur to leave me to die. "Waspinator is badly damaged. He was impaled by a branch, but its jetting through his beast-mode's upper hip. Coming to think of it, I doubt it could've hit any major circuits… His energon dampener systems appear to have been destroyed though. The boulder that was crushing him smashed his back and ruined the dampener's field. He's having energon surges while he's in beast-mode and he would have died from it if we didn't get here sooner."

I could tell the arachnid was trying to sound optimistic, epically so since he was around Terrorsaur. After all, my partner was very much protective of me currently and it seemed to unnerve Tarantulus to an extent. After all, Terrorsaur had aggressively snarled at him cycles prior like a wild animal.

Tatantulas and Inferno went silent for sometime. I presumed that maybe Megatron had asked about Terrorsaur's wellbeing, but I did not blame them for their immediate quietness. Tarantulus spoke again in a much more hushed tone. I could not make out what he said, though I thought that he was telling our tyrant about what Terrorsaur had done. It did not concern me really - I doubted that Megatron would punish Terrorsaur for such a small thing - but I wished I could have known what Megatron thought of it.

Again, the feeling of something hard and rough passing through my body's midsection made itself known by throbbing mercilessly. I felt Terrorsaur move, possibly to lift his head and look at what was protruding from my body, and he whispered in my audio. "Waspinator, don't move. Primus, this might hurt."

"We will return to the base in several cycles, Royalty," Inferno saluted to the air before cutting his link. I could not tell if he meant all four of us or just three if I died before we made it. At the rate I was going, I presumed it to be only three. It did not matter right away though, and I was also glad Inferno had cut the transmission for the purpose that I was sure I was going to start screaming…

I had taken so much pain within the past ten megacycles, I was either was not going to be able to take it or not. I was not in a rush to find out though. Terrorsaur set my battered body back down and moved around me, but I could not move so much as to brace myself. Whatever had run me through, I felt Terrorsaur grab it. The assaulting object shifted against my already battered back and I opened my jaws to cry out weakly.

Then he twisted it backward and I heard it snap.

I screamed feeling what had already ripped through me shift again, causing the pain to whip up my back and through whatever was not freezing numb, and I cried like I was an infant. Terrorsaur bowed over me and pressed his head into my neck. "You're fine, it's okay…" He straightened himself up. "Think we won't make it in time? _Keep up._"

He scooped me up into his arms suddenly and he stood with a swiftness that caught me by momentary surprise. He pulled me close to his chest and he _held_ me.

In an instant, wind was whipping my face and we were in the air. I hadn't been able to keep track of the movement when he took off into the air - nor can I remember when he'd taken off to this very day - but I clearly remember onlining my optics weakly and gazing up at the stars zooming overhead. They glistened like millions of gems in the night sky, sparkling like diamonds, and then I caught sight of two beautiful red ones. It took me a moment to realize I had looked up into Terrorsaur's face and his eyes met mine, flashing with fear for my wellbeing. What looked like moisture suddenly brimmed there and it took me yet another moment to realize that, for the first time since I'd met him, he was well on the verge of tears. Of course I had seen him cry before - when Airrazor shot him down was an excellent example - but _these_ tears were genuine and not brought on by delirium.

His torment was brought on by _me._

Pain throbbed through my back again and I cried out weakly. It came out as a harsh razz, my breath hitched, and my air was cut off before I gasped and I continued bawling. Overridden with a sudden need, I turned my head and buried it in Terrorsaur's chest. It felt oddly safe there and, despite the fact I knew I was dying, I preferred being nestled against his body to looking down as the landscape rushing thousands of feet below me. It felt surreal almost that I was in no way interested in considering taking a final glance around while I was in the air. Any flier - mainly that of a Predacon or even Decepticon - could tell you that if there was one thing he would want to see before they died, it would be the sky if he was on the ground or at the ground if he was in the sky. Both sights would be preferable to any airborne bound flier, yes, but I did not care for them at all in that instant. I just wanted to go to sleep in Terrorsaur's arms.

That was when I remembered how tired I was. Gently, the sounds of Terrorsaur's spark in his chest began to lull me into a recharge.

Terrorsaur suddenly shook me. "Waspy, _wake UP!_ _Don't you DARE_ go to sleep! Primus, _please…_" His voice was frantic and, if his shaking did not immediately jolt me to awareness, his voice would have. My partner's tone trembled on the verge of tears, shaking with almost completely uncontrolled grief, and I thought I heard him sob… I, of course, _knew_ I was delirious. The only time I heard Terrorsaur actually cry was when I rushed him back to the _Darkside_ after Airrazor emerged from her pod.

The pain started to ebb away, being replaced by an icy coldness. It bothered me greatly, so I nuzzled closer to Terrorsaur and shivered. Involuntarily, I found myself drifting away into nothingness again. The thick branch that had impaled me throbbed, yes, but it became less and less noticeable the more I stopped thinking.

Terrorsaur's voice was above me again, further and further away. My vision went dark to add to the drastic effect he was somewhere where I could no longer see him. The lighthouse was gone. "Waspinator! _WASPINATOR!_ Waspinator, wake up! Please wake _up, DAMMIT!_"

But I could not stay awake. It was not in my power to do so anymore, so I kept drifting off. The wind rushing against my hide faded and I would have never even realized Terrorsaur was shaking me if he hadn't called my name out again.

"No, no, Waspinator, stay with me. Stay…"

There was a slight tremble that resonated against my cold frame - no doubt him trying to shake me back into awareness - but I continued to slip down the muddy slope that was my dying spark.

"…I don't want to _loose you!"_ There was a loud sob above me. "Waspinator I _love_ you!"

Under normal circumstances, perhaps if I hadn't been delirious, there might have been a chance that I would have felt mixed emotions. I would be happy, elated even to the point where I would be sure I'd respond back with equal enthusiasm, but it was still _Terrorsaur_. He was my partner and he was always there for me when I needed him most, yes, but he was so much better than I was. He was better looking and had far better luck on his behalf than mine, so why would he waste his time saying he loved such an imperfect thing like me? Yes, I knew damn well he said he thought he was in love with me when we had our first kiss on Tanna's mountain face, but it was not as blunt as what I thought I heard him say while he rushed me back to the _Darkside_.

_So why me?_

…Well, I was not going to find the answer by dying, so I desperately tried to climb back up the incline I was slipping down. I whimpered to let him know I was still with him - that I thought I heard his plea - so he kept talking to me. I was incapable of answering back, but at least his voice kept me with him. Whereas the scarlet light from his optics had long since left me, his voice served as my desperately needed beacon. His tone turned into my night sky and, while my ship was lost at sea without the guidance of the light, I could at least follow the stars his voice still offered. I acknowledge those stars could have been scarlet like the lighthouse of his eyes.

I tried my best to stay awake in a final, last ditch effort to live. I did so for what felt like an eternity, but we actually came up to the _Darkside_ in record time. From what was told to me later after the event, Terrorsaur had flown at a record sped of two hundred and three miles per megacycle. Inferno and Tarantulus - the later riding on the pyromaniac's back to his distaste - could barely keep up with the record speed. Terrorsaur's robot form, in the arachnid scientist's words when Tarantulus apparently confronted Terrorsaur about it later, should have in no way been able to reach that speed. From what I can tell you now, Terrorsaur had never flown that fast in his entire life and he never had to ever again.

There was a rough jarring from when he touched down, though I was too tired to even stir all too much. Terrorsaur kept talking to me softly through it. "We're here, Waspinator. Just hang in there a little longer. Don't you _dare_ leave me, we're almost at the CR chambers, so stay with me…"

I whined and struggled, starting to loose again. I was sure my energy reserves were near zero, maybe in the last point digits, but I forced myself to cling to the crumbling edge that was my life. Even when we were obviously inside the base - I could hear Terrorsaur's footfalls on the metal floor - I still felt cold from the wind that had whipped over my body. The heat from our stolen and fallen ship should have warmed me immediately, but it took me another to register that my entire body had almost gone completely numb.

I saw something bight - white and without the scarlet hue I learned to adore - and I thought I was dead. I did not have enough energy to cry over it, but then my vision adjusted just enough so I could see that they were fluorescent lights. I had managed to live long enough to see in control room of the _Darkside_. Even with the brightness though, I still felt myself drifting off. My vision blurred and darkened even more than and the strong arms wrapped around me gripped tighter. Terrorsaur's voice was soft around me, but I heard it as clear as day. He pleaded with me to stay awake, to stay with him… And I tried to without as much vigor as I liked. I was too tired to think clearly - my mind was a haze as thick as Rattrap's skull - and I heard his voice slipping away from me suddenly. It was further away than it had been before. My mind tried to cling onto it and my body tried to give into the warm nothingness at the same time. I felt myself whimper in pain - despite the relaxing numbness that had begun to creep throughout my frame - and wanted desperately to see Terrorsaur's face.

I saw a light, not the fluorescent ones this time, and his voice faded. The light was not red like his scarlet frame, it was a bright white, and then I wanted even more so to see him. More than ever. I fought it. To my dulled horror, I thought I heard the monotone of a computer beeping somewhere in the distance.

"_Attention: Unit Waspinator has termin-"_

Then the pain exploded. Not into agony, no, but into nothingness. The light flashed brightly and I thought, maybe, I _had_ died. I wanted to cry in that instant with the thought I would never see my scarlet star ever again, but then my vision readjusted.

I blinked my optics slowly online. Terrorsaur was above me, his face obscured by what my logic sensors - regaining slight power - told me was CR fluid. I felt the branch running me through get pulled out gingerly and it slipped from my body easily. I did not feel pain anymore, not physically, but my mind jarred mentally.

Terrorsaur's face was contorted in silent agony. Just as much agony as I had been in. He set me down further in the fluid looking like he had his spark torn into a thousand different pieces before I lost unconsciousness. Tears had pricked his eyes.

Darkness consumed me for sometime before I found myself in a foggy dream. It seemed to be a pickup where my last one left off - the one involving my subconscious image of Terrorsaur preparing to reveal his spark to me - but this time my scarlet star was holding me in his arms while we sat on the mountain edge of Tanna. I felt weak lying in his arms and he rocked my body back and forth while we sat on the cliff. His hold never faltered and his feathered wings were wrapped around me protectively.

He murmured something to me. I groggily asked him to repeat what he said. He looked down into my eyes and gently wiped the hot sweat clinging to my forehead. "I told you that I love you."

"Really?" My voice was a rasped, weak sounding whisper that was tight from strain. I could not tell if my weakness was from the amount of overloads I endured from my past dream or the damage I had to endure from being buried alive. I presumed that it was a combination of both. I razzed tiredly and I turned my head somewhat - not enough to break our eye contact - to nuzzle his chest. "Do you mean that?"

He shook his head and held me closer, stroking the side of my face and hugging me tighter to his form. "I'll love you forever."

The confession made a calming warmth radiate from my spark outward into my body, and I relaxed into the sensation by going limp in his embrace further. I felt like I was on the verge of going into recharge and I did not bother to fight it. "…Can you say that for me again?"

He did. He said he'd love me forever over and over… I groggily came back to awareness an eternity later, this time being the awareness of actual reality.

My mind was ridiculously hazy and, out of instinct alone, I swam to the top of the tank and tried to determine where I was. The CR fluid had clogged my airways and, as soon as I was out of the liquid, my frame tried to get to take an intake. Finding myself unable to breathe, I coughed violently and sputtered in a pure instinctual attempt to clear my intake piping. Light flashed across my eyes brilliantly and I heard something smash outside my field of hearing. It took me a moment to realize that it was someone hitting the button on the CR lift. I stupidly wondered how I ended up in a CR chamber until I suddenly felt a twinge of pain from my hip. The place I was impaled. Everything in regards what happened came back and piled down on me like tons of rubble.

The floor underneath me moved upwards a caught me on its warm metal, pushing me out of the liquid and out of the pool. Still coughing, the warm air of the lava pits hit my limp body and I shuddered involuntarily. I looked up, blearily trying to take in my surroundings, and then I registered the fact someone had stepped onto the lift and was standing beside me. The figure's clinking footfalls rung in my audio and I turned my head slowly to see a pair of red boots blurred in my field of vision. The figure of my scarlet star knelt and Terrorsaur's voice filtered towards me. "Waspy?"

I could not answer right away. I opened my maw to speak, but the words caught in my noticeably sore throat. Even though I had run my rounds in the CR chamber, I still felt like slag. My limbs and entire frame were sore with the stress they had been put under, but I managed to find my voice a moment later. "If Terror-bot _ever_ tries to take Wazzpinator on island vacation… Wazzpinator is going to smack Terror-bot over the head with a _stick."_

Even under bad circumstances when I was scrapped and Terrorsaur came to pick up my pieces, I would usually joke at my expense to make him feel better. It did not happen this time however. Still unable to see his face and not hearing any form of reaction from him - not even a minor snigger - he spoke again. I swore, for an instant, that I heard his voice tremble. "Can you _transform?"_

His voice cracked on the last word, emphasizing it almost, but I was too dumbfounded to react. Instead, his question turned to a command and my body obliged to it. I shifted to my robot-mode, mewling when an unforgiving and merciless pounding began to thrum in my head, but I continued to lay sprawled out on the platform like a kicked puppy. I tried to get up and make myself look slightly more dignified before my partner, but my forearms trembled and threatened to give way when I tried to push off the ground. Hands, strong and gentle at the same time, grasped my shoulders and helped me push off before one of those same hands grasped my right forearm. Terrorsaur threw it over his shoulder and hauled me up with what, to me, felt like an alien sort of strength. My vision began to return to me somewhat and I saw the other _Darkside_ residents staring in my direction with both questioning and partially awed gazes.

I turned my head to look at Terrorsaur as he lead me out of the room. His face, paler than usual in a clammy sort of way, was twisted in a fashion that looked pained. I could not determine if it looked like he was going to be sick or if he already had been, but I was drawn to his scarlet eyes. They were no longer brimmed with the tears I was sure I imagined but he did not even incline his head to look at me. He stared straight ahead while more or less purposely not meeting my gaze.

He walked us down the hall in silence and we approached the door to his room after sometime. The light above the entrance to Terrorsaur's room buzzed above us softly and the code pad signal light beside the door frame buzzed on a much higher, less audible frequency. Terrorsaur tried to keep a grip on me and lift his hand to enter the code at the same time, but it was obvious that he was having an immense difficulty with the multitasking. I braced my unsteady legs and tried to pull away from my scarlet star. "Wazzpinator can stand by himself."

But his other arm, wrapped around my waist to support me further, held fast. I was surprised at first and I quickly looked up to see that, while Terrorsaur still was not looking at me, his jaw was set tightly. The glass of his optics looked fogged and distant, and it dawned on me that there was no way in the _Pitt_ he was going to let me go. Not after what we went through.

I stopped using him for the majority of my support, easing my weight off him slightly, and he finished entering the code. He entered in the wrong codec at first and I was taken aback when he messed it up a second time. When he tried to enter it a third time, I paid attention to the digits he punched in and realized he could not get it right because his hand was shaking so hard.

The door finally hissed open the fourth time he entered the password, this time managing to get it right. Terrorsaur immediately lead me inside. His quarters were dimly lit in the darkness, letting dull moonlight shine in though the long window that dominated the far wall.

As soon as the door hissed closed, Terrorsaur lost control.

He turned sharply and forced me against the wall, possibly with more vigor than he intended, before he attacked my mandibles with his lips. I did not bother to fight him, leaning against the wall heavily from the soreness in my whole body, but I did not kiss back. Terrorsaur let a strangled sound wretch itself from his throat and he kissed more fiercely, his entire form shuddering from the fruitless effort of keeping himself under control. He bit around my mandibles, sucked lovingly on the edges of them, and tried to make entry into my mouth a moment afterwards. I let him, letting my jaw pop open for him to force his glossa inside. Terrorsaur took the opportunity and ran his tongue over every part of my cavern - the roof my mouth, the walls, my tongue - before he had to make himself pull away for air.

The moment he did, Terrorsaur was entirely unable to stop his own breakdown.

My scarlet star _sobbed_, burying his face against my throat just as he completely lost himself. Though I heard him make the sounds in the cavern, to actually hear and see him cry without the handicap of delirium stunned me. I shuddered underneath him, my wings twitching, and Terrorsaur could not help but tightly clamp his hands on my shoulders. His grip was almost painful on my sore body, but I endured it either way. It did not hurt as much as watching Terrorsaur cry.

The thought of loosing me obviously frightened him.

"Never again. I'm _never_ going to come that close to loosing you _ever_ _again,"_ he said in a trembling rasp. He said it over and over again, probably trying to convince himself more than me, and I gently reached my sore arms up to drape them over his shoulders. He tensed from the touch and cried harder, but I responded by applying pressure and hugging him to my own body weakly.

I rubbed comforting circles on the back of his neck, willing him to calm down. "Terrorsaur won't."

I had spoken called him by his actual name but again but, in all honesty, I could not bring myself to care anymore. Even the times I would call him by his first name after that night, I found that I did not give a damn. Moonlight glowed slightly more fiercely through the window before dulling again - the moons had probably been uncovered by the clouds for a brief moment - and Terrorsaur turned his face from being buried against my throat. He sobbed quietly, sniveling in a manner that I thought strangely sounded like a sparkling. I let my head loll against his slightly and I buzzed my wings softly, letting the vibrations from my body comfort my scarlet star. I hugged him tighter to me and I held him in my arms.

I had a spark surge and ironically, at the same time, so did Terrorsaur. They were much likes the ones I had earlier on in the day - I was sure it was the same to Terrorsaur's as well - but it was then I realized they were never surges at all. My spark seemed to push against its casing towards Terrorsaur's own chest leveled with mine. My spark wanted his.

After it was over a moment later, he shakily pulled away and looked deeply into my eyes. Unshed tears still sat in his optics, awaiting a chance to be sprung from the fiery prison they were held within, and I was lost in the brilliant scarlet pools until Terrorsaur brought his hands up to my face and pulled me into another kiss. It was slower than the last one, but this time it was deeper and had a passion so powerful underlining it that I can't even begin to describe. Slowly, I stepped away from the wall and pivoted slightly so I could pin him. My wings went erect behind me and I kissed back, continuing to caress the nape of his neck and his upper back like we were experts. We were not though, and that made the contact so much more sacred to me.

I pulled away and pressed my forehead to his. I felt him trembling underneath me, silently conflicted over the fact I had very much just barely died earlier - and, as I recalled, I think I might have been dead for a split click before being introduced to the CR - and I whispered lovingly to him. "Don't be afraid."

I felt my spark tug at his again and he shivered under in a slightly harsher manner than he already was. The hands he had against the side of my face shook with the rest of his body and so did his voice. "I won't."

I gently stepped backwards and he followed me. We moved in sync, one foot following one another's, and we eventually made it across the floor towards the window while flanking the head of the bed. Anyone else watching would have presumed that we were gradually dancing across the room in the low light, but the heated, loving look that made our optics glow made it so much more intimate. With a grace that felt alien to me, I pushed Terrorsaur down onto the berth and he swung his legs onto it, straining to sit up on his elbows while he watched me descend onto him. I climbed up gradually, straddling his lap, and I slowly leaned down to kiss him lightly. We broke away and I kissed him again, making it turn deep and adoring.

It was our second attempt. That was what I thought it was going to be at first anyways.

Even though we had two encounters before, it was still our second time actually trying to uplink. Things were less awkward this time though, and everything flowed dreamily. While I kissed my partner, I let my right hand leave his face so I could trace it down his chest and abs. He made a choked squawk and, clicks afterward, he moaned. It was a sound that let my audios wanting to hear it again. My fingers traced carefully over his gut and they found the rounded seal of his codpiece soon afterward. Terrorsaur bucked upward into the touch with a strained vigor and I felt his face flush hot enough that I could feel it through our kiss. I rubbed his crotch until I heard the familiar hissing click of the port opening.

Terrorsaur's arm unwrapped itself from around my neck and it trailed down my collar before finding its way between us. I froze and stopped kissing my scarlet star - Terrorsaur abruptly took it upon himself to press his other hand against the back of my head, making myself open my mouth and giving him entrance - but then I moaned when his hand found the space between my legs. My wings buzzed from the pleasure that zapped up my midsection and my own port hissed open. He rested his hand on the inside of my thigh and pulled his glossa out of my cavern, releasing the pressure on the back of my head to free me. I pulled away, panting quietly, and I met Terrorsaur's gorgeous eyes. Though the darkness hid most of his features, I could see his face clearly flushed in the low light. He stared back, a stare that was equally intense as mine, but he had to break it when his desire took over. He arched his hips just barely, wanting an interface.

I buzzed and put my face next to his audio. I had meant to say something to him, but I found there was not anything I could bring myself to say. His breathing was slow and controlled beside me and, entranced by the steadiness of the sound, I brought our ports together.

The initial jolt sent charges zipping down out legs and back into our abs before looping up towards our sparks. Terrorsaur gasped initially - so did I, though much softer than he had - but then warmth and bliss trickled throughout our bodies. I moaned, surrendering to the delicious feedback, but Terrorsaur groaned almost painfully underneath me. He tensed and I was horrified that I might have accidentally hurt him, but I could not will myself to stop my mid rock against him. He groaned again underneath me. "Com-computer, activate sound proof and put it on max power."

The feminine monotone droned back. _"Acknowledged."_

The small computer box that sat beside the room's door clicked and a green light on the console turned red. He suddenly arched his hips hard and moaned loudly, making my audios ring with how close I was to him. His mouth fell open and he made enough noise to easily make up for the both of us. I randomly found it a very good idea for him to remember the sound proof system our rooms had.

Terrorsaur whimpered underneath me. "D_-don't stop…_"

I did not. Gently, I rocked back and forth against him and sent occasional electrical pulses between his legs. Ecstatic pleasure made him let his jaw fall open further than it already was. His other arm wrapped itself around my neck and I felt both of them tremble lightly from their places on my shoulders. I kissed the side of his jaw tenderly, barely keeping my own composure in check from the feelings that threatened to rob all my coherent thought, and I gently brought my other hand back up so they both rested on his shoulders. I razzed lovingly against his helm.

We stayed like that for a little more than a cycle, letting my instincts move my body against his. Terrorsaur's moans resonated from deep inside of him, almost as if they had been locked there for a very long time whilst wanting release, while I was nearly silent. I stifled my own noises to make sure I could hear his because, honestly, hearing his moans of bliss were ten thousand times worth more than hearing my own. His were almost musical in a way while mine, on the other hand, were like scraping metal against sandpaper.

My spark pulled for his again. He gasped in pain underneath me - his own spark had pulled for mine at the same time mine for his - and I groaned. It hurt more than the other times.

Our fates were sealed from that moment on.

Terrorsaur mewled and he whispered three words into my audio. _"Bond with me."_

I immediately stopped my gentle rocking motions against him.

Terrorsaur squawked low in frustration, obviously feeling the ache that built up from my ceasing motions. I was caught of guard by… By his request and it took me a moment to realize he had more or less _proposed to me._ I turned my head to face him properly, grazing my mandibles over my scarlet star's cheek and his lips. My optics, feeling glazed slightly from my own elation, met Terrorsaur's own glazed scarlet stars. There was nothing there but total adoration and it hit me that he was dead serious.

When he said he loved me while flying my broken form back to the _Darkside_, he really _had_ said he loved me. I hadn't dreamt it.

"…We'zz be bonded for the rest of our livezz…" I said with a distant voice. My mechanical brain ran laps inside my skull.

Terrorsaur probed me, his voice only slightly louder than a whisper. "Waspinator, I love you. Primus, I'd _never_ have anyone else other than you. I… I can't live without you. I don't know how I lived this long not having you, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I _need to_. Please?"

Underneath me, he started to tremble again. His eyes were liquid fire, burning with a need so strong that it reminded me dully of someone who damn well meant what they said. This was not something he wanted or something he randomly came up with while in an interface filled haze. This was something that he honestly in order to survive_ needed_. I could tell very well just by looking at him that he needed me, and I watched his optics mist over with that need. It was powerful enough to make my spark melt.

My essence pulsed, sending another surge through my body, and it took me another moment to register that it had wanted Terrorsaur all along.

My voice was below a whisper. _"…Yes."_

His optics flared bright and he stared in me in what almost looked to be disbelief. He was shaking hard now and, dully, I realized I was too. Trembling, I leaned down and kissed his forehead as a wave of realization - that he was going to be my mate - washed over me. It was like the acidic feeling that made my body ache after Terrorsaur and I were first shot by the flying island, but this time it was so much more gratifying. Gratifying in a way that made moisture build up behind my optics. I pressed my forehead to his while shakily holding him and, beneath me, I heard him stifle a sob just before he hugged me tightly. My shoulders groaned in protest - I was still unbelievably sore - but I could not find it in myself to give a damn.

I stroked the sides of his face, monotonously feeling the wetness of tears that were staining his gorgeous features. "Wazzpinator needs Terrorsaur too."

"I love you so much," he whispered underneath me. "We… Primus, bond with me _right now._ I can't take waiting."

I readily agreed with him, though I did so silently. I kissed him deeply and heartily, brushing my glossa up against his lips. He let me in without hesitation. I explored the inside of him and his trembling seemed to lessen in intensity, but he still shuddered ever so slightly.

His chest plate hissed open.

I reactivated my optics and looked deeply into Terrorsaur's suddenly glazed eyes. I broke our kiss and drew back, looking downward towards his chest. On the one time I had seen his spark, it was pale and silverish white with shock. Now, beneath me and exposed for m optics only, was the now brilliant crimson red star burning inside of him. His essence pulsated in whirring hums, almost as if it were beckoning, and it flared when my optics found its gorgeous brilliance. Terrorsaur tensed underneath me, turning his head away in an apprehensiveness that I had never seen before, but I did not blame him. Second to overload, exposing one's spark was the second closest thing to someone's most venerable. I remembered my dream where Terrorsaur was preparing to reveal his spark and I realized that it _was_ a preface of things to come.

His spark looked like a scarlet star burning in the night sky. It was the most beautiful thing I had seen since Terrorsaur himself.

I stroked the corners of his face and gently let my other hand slip down his chest. He tensed further, still shaking, and he whimpered my name meekly. I hushed him by buzzing low and rubbing our crotches together. He gasped and his spark flared with the exclamation in such a fashion that it made my own swoon in its casing.

My hand reached the open portion of his open chamber and I let my hand rest over his spark. I did not touch it - that was a step I would only take unless Terrorsaur gave me the permission to - but the star seemed to arch towards me like Terrorsaur arched for my hips. The radiant warmth that came off the sphere of scarlet light made my own spark pull for him. My own chest plates opened and the room was engulfed with both of our sparks' lights. It made the lighting take on a dull gold hue.

Terrorsaur looked back up and stared at my chest, taking in the sight of my own spark. Pulsing emerald, it flared wanting a spark interface. I shuddered when his eyes found its glow, letting my wings go erect behind me, and I felt one of his arms leave my shoulders so he could place it on my chest beside my spark. He was hesitant in regards to being close enough to touch my essence.

Both flared with want. My body jerked down and I had to regain my composure to keep from smashing our chests to one another. He gasped and moaned when I shifted my port against him, creating a new sort of friction between them, and he was trembling hard again. I was too though, and I could not bring myself to stop. I looked deeply into his eyes, noticing the condensation that had devolved on his pale face, and I barely had any control left to say anything. "Terrorsaur sure he wants thizz?"

He nodded shakily. "As long as you need it as much as I do."

I tried to hold back a moment longer, attempting to make myself realize this would be our last moments as being unbound by a bond for life… But my spark had other plans. It yanked for Terrorsaur's hard, making me smash my chest against his.

The agony that slammed into us was so great that neither of us could scream. The red and green lights that radiated from our chests flared brilliantly to the point where it was almost white, but then the pain was gone almost immediately. Ecstasy, pure and immense, lashed throughout our bodies with more power than any port stimulation could create. Terrorsaur bucked hard, forcing his dock to mine, and he gave a loud screeching moan. He arched and was one the merge of thrashing if I hadn't intervened by bracing my body against his. I gripped either side of his face to keep him still and Terrorsaur threw his arms around my neck again. He buried his head against my left shoulder and he moaned without any control left to stop himself.

I lost control as well. I thrust hard against his port, my body acting on its own accord, and I moaned against his throat. "Terrorzzzzaur_, yezzzzzz…_"

He panted and moaned a trembling rumble.

We moved against one another in a heated passion making love to one another. Sex honestly did not fit the term in regards to what we were doing. We were about ready to commit to the other for the rest of our lives and the use of the word "sex" had a sort of vulgarity to it that did not suit. Though it was a similar term, "making love" seemed to fit so much better. Our sparks crackled and sparked against one another, sending energy feedback through our frames in loops that drove my neural network insane with bliss. The heat and energy Terrorsaur's spark radiated off onto mine was intense enough to make my fingers curl into claws. Despite the pleasure however, it was not nearly enough to drive either of us into an overload. Though we had an interface that lasted long enough for us to have one, our bodies wouldn't climax. No matter how hard I rocked or how powerful the pulses that I sent between my partner's legs were, neither of our sparks would allow the feedback to take us to our peaks.

Even though our sparks were only brought together in a semi fusion - a typical position when two unbound Transformers were spark interfacing - they fused together somewhat more. My vision turned white and gave a buzzed, shrieked cry of bliss.

Whether or not it was a mental guard or a physical one, I'm still not quite sure. When a Transformer - Maximal or Predacon alike - attempt to interface sparks with no intention of bonding, something keeps the sparks from creating that bond. Those who don't want to bond but still interface overload without a hitch, but those wanting a bond won't overload no matter how hard they try to. The process of bonding includes the atoms in the sphere being relaxed enough to allow the two energies to form one single entity. During the whole process, the sparks mold further and further together - this lets the partner they're interfaced with actually see their memories and read their minds - until they turn into one single mass. They become two separate sparks again afterward of course, though not without leaving parts of the other's spark inside his or her mate… and not without ending the bonding with a bang. From rumors, post bond overloads were supposed to be mind blowing.

Terrorsaur was groaning underneath me, mewling and arching up against me every time I grinded my hips to his. "Oooooh _Primus,_ we're _bonding…"_

I reached a hand up to stroke his face while simultaneously trying to regain control over my movements. I eventually managed to time my thrusts to his arches until we moved in sync back and forth against each other. I sent him a pulse every three of four of these rocking motions, making his face twist with pleasure every time I did so, and he said my name in an almost delirious manner. I responded back by droning his in an equally passionate tone.

Our sparks moved closer to one another. Then everything went dark for several clicks.

When I regained my sight, my vision was swimming in a manner that was almost watery. It cleared a moment later and Terrorsaur's face was lined with just as much confusion as there was pleasure. He looked up at me, meeting my gaze, and I could not help but to lean my head down and kiss him. My mind felt as though it was out of the loop as well, but I could not quite understand why right away. The corners of my vision darkened and I tried to shake it off with surprise. "Wh-What-?"

"The sparks are… They're trying to playback something," Terrorsaur murmured, seemingly exhausted.

Our memories were trying to bleed through. Our sensors were still on high - I could still feel the warm bliss trickling up and down my heated body - but my vision was thinning out and refocusing on something else not physically in front of me. I strained to see it, narrowing my optics in a vain attempt to make it out, and I inwardly gasped when I realized what it was. The memory was mine and, ironically, it was one of the _worst_ I could've asked for.

…Not that I wanted to show Terrorsaur of course.

As soon as it came to mind, I tried to shy it away and keep it locked behind my mental doors. Terrorsaur gasped when I closed the door in his face - though is sharp breath could've been from pleasure as well, I was not sure - and he let his arms tighten from their places around the back of my neck. "Let me in, Waspy."

"Not this one. _Anything_ but this one…" I whined low and buried my face in my scarlet partner's throat. I had known from rumors that bonding unlocked good _and_ bad memories, but in no way had I expected a horrendously terrible one to surface right off. I already knew damn well which memory was trying to reveal itself to Terrorsaur. It was the one where my parents died.

Terrorsaur gave me a mental nudge and arched his chest, bringing our sparks closer together. The door I had closed felt like it was beginning to creak open, almost as if my spark thought the reminiscence somehow needed to be seen. My scarlet star beneath me gently touched that door and jingled the handle, trying to coax me to open it for him. "Waspinator, _please…"_

I was not sure why I decided to open it, but then I gave up and let him. The past ripped wide open and my vision faltered, letting the both of our sparks turn into one and playing my past across our visions like we were there.

While I was a sparkling, I still mostly had the same coloration as I did as a wasp. I was a deep emerald green with highlights of yellow and black. The room my past image slept in was dark and Terrorsaur strained his mental eyes to see. The moonlight from Cybertron's moon pierced the windows, casting the silver light across the room where my form slept, and then my image sat up in my mother's recharge berth to find he was alone.

Terrorsaur made a small noise. "That… That's _you?"_

His tone hinted onto disbelief, though I did not blame him. I was a puny runt of a thing, smaller than most of the infants my age, and I felt Terrorsaur awe at how obscenely fragile I looked. When my past self started to reminiscence, we followed his thoughts. My name had been Terminator back then and I was accidentally conceived in an alleyway while my mother and father were still dating. I had originally been a non-identical twin - I had a sister whose spark was somewhat weaker than mine - but she died three days after we were conjured. My mother hadn't realized she was with spark at all until a week after and, while it bothered her greatly that one of her offspring died, she was thankful that she would at least still have one. In fact, if I recall, she was ecstatic.

While normal Transformer pregnancies usually last nine to ten weeks, my mother was with spark for only seven when she went into premature labor. Just like my conception, I was sparked into existence in an alleyway during the dead middle of one of Cybertron's winters. She took me home that night, keeping me close to her chest for warmth, and that was when she named me after my dead Decepticon grandfather on her side of the family. Though she had 'married' my father at that point, he did not seem to give a damn as to what she decided to title me. He could not seem to bring himself to care.

My mother had kept me in the crib at the far corner of the room for a few weeks after my creation. My mother was not able to maintain the habit though. Like any female dealing with her first sparkling, my arrangements did not last long and I often found myself sleeping in her protectively warm arms. This was a typical bonding method between a mother and her child - the best Cybertronian researchers could tell you that - but Hummingbird was protective of her only son for another reason. Though he was not her bondmate, Stalegrate fathered me and lived in my mother's house to support his family. Not the typical fatherly type however, he often came home from his job as a nightclub bouncer ragingly drunk. One evening, mere weeks after I was born, we had all set down at the table and I squeaked at him trying to garner his attention while he was taking a swig of his drink. As a baby, I had been curious about my larger parent and merely wanted to get closer to him like I had with my mother. He had ignored me at first but, when I tried to get his attention a second time, he finally brought it upon himself to acknowledge my existence. Stalegrate had slammed his half empty high grade bottle down on my skull as a response.

Terrorsaur felt the thought and, upon the sight of my sparkling self remembering the image exactly, he tensed immediately. The sound of tough, reinforced glass being shattered upon slamming into my skull made me jump in place as well. I felt a lump form in my throat when Terrorsaur reacted to my prior image's thoughts.

My reflection shuddered and pulled the covers his head, continuing to think. My mother reacted violently to seeing her baby get assaulted and she attacked the larger Predacon out of blind rage, but she had been beaten to a near pulp before Stalegrate finally let up and wandered off to the living area to sleep and watch his soiled movies. Hummingbird took her baby up to her room and bandaged my head up. I had still been crying at the time and I wailed even further upon seeing the deplorable state of my mother sporting a horrible shiner and a dented chassis. I had ceased my bawling when she gave me my preheated formula and took me to bed with her though. The crib still sat in the room mostly for show, yes, but I never slept in it again.

But my mother was _always_ with me. Now in the darkness of the room lit only by dim moonlight, she _wasn't. _To make matters worse, something felt horridly wrong to me.

"Waspinator… _Primus…"_ Terrorsaur's voice only rose above a whisper, but I could hear the horrified tone that underlines it. "Your father… he _did_ that to you?"

"It getzz worse," I moaned.

I had groggily slipped out of the berth and landed on the ground unsteadily. Three by Cybertronian standards, my equilibrium as a flier infant was far from adequately devolved. The moonlight cast a long shadow across the room while I stumbled to the door. I made a low humming sound, not too much unlike the sounds I made as a wasp, and I pawed at the door like a kitten would paw at its master's leg. "Mama?"

Terrorsaur's spark hitched and figuratively melted in its casing when he heard my voice.

There was no answer. I had spoken too softly, this was obvious, but I was too afraid to speak up any louder. My father slept downstairs on the sofa and, per say I tried calling out for my mother any louder, there would be the very real risk of me waking him up. He had been binging on high grade before I had gone to bed that night so, if he still was not heatedly drunk, he would be badly tempered with a hangover. If there was one thing I did not want, it was to have that rage thrown full force at me. Instead, I gently pushed the door open. It was an old house that had doors with hinges instead of the electric switches. It was cheap at the time though, and my parents barely had enough money as it was to raise a child. An expensive house or even one slightly less run down than the one I lived in was out of the question.

Moonlight spilt over the hallway when the door opened, but the moon was suddenly blotted out by clouds. It left me standing in total darkness and my tiny spark quivered with fear. I was too afraid to call or even move.

An odd smell hit my avatar's face and, just as the sparkling perked up curiously, I winced and trembled.

Terrorsaur murmured underneath me, his voice low almost as if he was trying to be as quiet as my past self. "Primus, what the frell is that _smell?"_ I started trembling harder then and I almost tried to shut out the memory again. Terrorsaur noticed my shaking this time however and, as a respond, he held me tighter. "You're okay, Waspy. Just relax and keep hanging onto me. I won't let you go."

Except I really _wasn't_ okay. I wanted the memory to end but, in order to end it, it had to finish. I did not want to see the ending both because I knew the conclusion and I did not want to relive it a second time.

My past sparkling self slowly stalked out of the room, keeping my head low and trying to keep silent while I walked. The floorboards were treacherous though, and they squeaked loudly even with what little weight I had. My fuel pump sputtered wildly in my chest and I froze again, smelling the air and trying to identify noises through the deafening silence. I tried to whisper my mother's name but I was too terrified to make as much as a peep. Then the smell got stronger when I walked over to the staircase. Beside the stairs that lead to the first floor, there was another hallway that had a door on the wall to the right. This lead to the attic and I dully noticed that I could not see the light from the television downstairs. My father always fell asleep watching pornography late into the night - he very often cranked the volume on high, leaving my mother and I struggling to go to sleep while we simultaneously tried ignoring the audio the cheap porno films produced - but this was the first time that I remembered that he was not. Curiously enough as well, the door to the attic was wide open. The smell, strong and heavy, wafted from the open door.

Something was burning.

Terrorsaur tensed underneath me but otherwise stayed silent. My shaking grew in intensity and I suddenly could not take it anymore. I rapidly shook my head. "N-_NO!_ Primuzz, _stop it!_ Wazzpinator doesn't want to _see it_ again! _Wazzpinator-"_

I tried to mentally flail, abruptly desperate to shake off the horrid memory, but Terrorsaur held me in a vice grip both mentally and physically. "I'm here. We have to go through with this. I'm here with you, love. We'll go through with it together."

"Don't let go," I begged. I shuddered and felt my body bury its face against his broad, crimson shoulder. "Don't let _go."_

"I'd never."

In the memory, my past self stupidly edged towards the door. Terror and sparkling curiosity made him move and, after a few moments, he was in front of the door. The smell was even stronger there.

I whimpered, both my physical form and my mental one. My avatar seemed to be on the same page as me as he looked cautiously up the stairs. He knew he was not allowed up in the attic due to the fact his father had his workshop - one that he did not use frequently, I'll add - up there. The floor was not finished in some places either, and the fact the hose was so old meant the floor could possibly give in under too much weight. Vigilantly, my past self took a hesitant step up those stairs. My present form clung to Terrorsaur for dear life and he held me back to let me know he was not going to let me face my past alone.

The sparkling stopped before he reached the top of the stairs. Terminator glanced around the darkness apprehensively and whispered fearfully. "Muh-Mama?

There was no answer. There was only the smell and a light, crackling noise. My avatar sniffed the air and smelled the atmosphere growing steadily heavier and thicker with something unpleasant. It was a new sent to me, yes, but Terrorsaur realized exactly what it was even before my sparkling version could.

"It's a _fire," _he whispered. "Oh _Primus_, there's a fire in the attic."

I tensed and waited for the moment all hell would break loose.

"…Mama?"

Even as a child, the universe had been out to get me for some reason. As if on some sort of sickly cue, the ceiling was suddenly alit with bright flames that licked up the wood like ribbons caught in a breeze. A beam fell and fire spilled out onto the floor in front of me. My sparkling self shrieked just as loudly as my physical adult version had. I cried out and clung to Terrorsaur for dear life, hearing a sob rip itself from my vocalizer. Terrorsaur had jumped from the suddenly violent memory and he held me back.

"_Mama!"_ Terminator's body wracked with the frightened cry and my burning from the heat eyes brimmed with tears. The smoke made my vision turn to static and I had to turn away from the burning flames while raising an arm to shield myself. The ceiling groaned, another beam fell, and the tiny Predacon baby snapped to attention at the noise. His optics caught the sight of a large flaming husk towards the back of the attic. My mechanical brain in present time came to the conclusion as to what it was before my infant one could. It was my mother. Raped and stabbed to death by my father when she ventured out of our bedroom to get me some medicine for a cough I had been enduring for the past few days. My father saw her sneak into the kitchen to grab the vaccine and Stalegrate slapped a hand over her mouth, dragging her back upstairs and into the attic where he sexually violated her. He squeezed her spark, stabbed her with a rusty kitchen blade he picked up at the nightclub, and strangled her already dead body to ensure she was dead. Not a moment too soon, my infant avatar realized who it was and he sobbed. _"MAMA!"_

Terrorsaur suddenly shuddered underneath me.

My avatar ran.

I turned on my small heels and he ran down the stairs. The ceiling overhead groaned again, this time louder, and another beam started to fall. It sat directly over the staircase and my past self was directly underneath it.

Terrorsaur hugged me tighter. "Don't stop…"

At first, I thought he was referring to the fact I was starting to stop rubbing our ports together. I had slowed since the start of the memory and had nearly ceased with my movements entirely, but then I realized he had been referring to my avatar running down the stairs when he tensed seeing the beam start to fall. It suddenly came off the boards and came crashing down. As unlucky as I was, I _was_ lucky enough to barely evaded being struck by half a step. The beam crashed down, lighting the stairs with brilliant fire that burned my back like a smoldering brand. My green and yellow sparkling shell was thrown down the steps and I cried out with pain and fear. I tumbled down the steps and fell to the bottom of the hardwood staircase with a thud.

I sat up and cried, pressing my hands to the back of my head where I had bashed it. My sparkling avatar trembled just as hard as I was presently doing in Terrorsaur's embrace, but then there was a loud crash. My past self looked up through my tear brimmed optics to see that part of the second floor ceiling had caved. Fire leapt from where part of the ceiling in front of the hallway that lead to my and my mother's bedroom had fallen. I cried out seeing fire leap from the fallen debris before spreading across the hardwood floors like electricity on a circuit board.

The entire house was on fire and something was hissing beside my small shaking form. Though I hadn't known it back then, the furnace that sat underneath the window beside the attic door was the only one in the whole house. It was ancient technology compared to the electrical and automatic heaters that had been coming out, but that was not the only problem with it. It was powered by gas and, due to the fire, that gas was rapidly heating. In hindsight, it was practically a time bomb.

Terrorsaur was shaking too. "Get _out of there."_

I did. I had known that outside would be safer than the fire that was taking over the entire house. I stumbled down the hallway, coughing from the smoke and crying from both the pain throbbing in the back of my head and the loss of my mother, and I barely made it past the stairs when part of the ceiling caved behind me. There was a roaring crash and the roof of the hallway collapsed, sending charred wood, metal, and fire spewing in every direction. I tripped and fell heavily on his front chest, crying and sobbing wildly while the heat burned my optics and blurred my vision. I stood again, managing to get to the staircase, before I started to stagger down the stairs my short legs. I tried grabbing the railing to keep steady on my feet but, as soon as I bumped beside it, it teetered and fell on its side away from me. The railing fell to the first floor with a loud crash and the staircase groaned underneath me. I screamed with fright.

Then there was another scream. It was glass shattering, animalistic wail and I snapped to attention. Whipping around in place, I gazed up the staircase with horror.

My father stood at the entrance to the second floor, waving his arms about wildly and looking like an incarnation of The Fallen. Before Stalegrate killed her, Hummingbird managed to claw open one of the lubricant lines in his arm. The fluid had oozed all over his hand but she otherwise did not damage him. When my drunkenly enraged father tried to light a match to set the anciently dry house on fire though, the solution caught fire as well. Like kerosene, the mech fluid caught and he went up in flames instantly.

I stared in terror at my father before he turned and seemingly caught sight of me. His eyes, burning red against the orangey blaze that consumed him, went wide and glowed with hate. He opened his mouth, letting out a terrifying banshee scream, and he staggered forward before suddenly tumbling down the stairs. My avatar turned and ran down the steps in an attempt to not get bowled over by the falling mammoth of a Predacon, but fortune seemed to smile on me again for another random reason. I made it to the bottom of the stairs before my father could crash into me. He fell heavily to the floor and convulsed in the last moments of his life.

I ran for the front door and reached it clicks after I made it off the staircase. The fire had spread to the first floor and the heat on the inside of the house was intense. The hot air burned the sensors on my tiny helicopter propellers and I desperately tried to reach for the metal door handle. It was seemingly too high up, but then my infant hand caught on the metal handle when I strained to jump one final time. My palm was burned from the scalding steel but the door swung open regardless.

It had been snowing out, though not too heavily. The cold air was an instant relief to the heated house but I only had a moment to stumble down two of the stone steps before the time bomb went off.

The gas furnace that ran through the building caught on fire and the whole house exploded. The windows shattered and sent glass flying onto the snow covered streets while erupting an inferno of flames. The force of the explosion sent me flying off the steps and face first into the snowy road. I fell hard on my nose against the stone boulevard and smashed my facial plates, effectively cracking my right infant blue optic in the process.

I sat up in the snow, watching my home burn and, now being an orphan, I bawled.

Once my vision returned me to the land of the conscious, I did too.

I shivered at the memory and mewled into Terrorsaur's neck, trying to ignore the recollection by grinding our chests further together and thrusting my pelvis against Terrorsaur's. I tried desperately not to cry at first - I had hoped I would never have to relive that moment in my life ever again - but my inner demons started to win out. I felt an uncomfortable lump form in my throat, making it sore and hot, but I held back as best I could.

My partner moved his head slightly, resting his surprisingly moist cheek against the side of my head. He'd been upset by the memory just as much as I had. He was silently tearing from the pain of watching my horrid memory and he moaned from the pleasure robbing him of his coherent thought at the same time. He reached a hand up to stroke my helm and he used his other hand to massage the base of one of my left wing in what he hoped to be a comforting gesture.

"_Waspinator…" _Terrorsaur rubbed my helm before stroking the length of my antenna. "Oh Primus, I can't believe… That's _terrible_._"_

Despite the tragedy he had to see of my past_, _his touches were still loving. Even though my spark made him go through what I had to endure and remember, he did not care that my past had potentially ruined the mood of our bonding process. I shuddered and, a click later, I finally caved and cried. My wings thrummed somewhat and hot, unrestrained tears rolled down my face. I was blubbering before I could help myself.

"Father-bot never love Wazzpinator or Mama-bot. He…" I took in a choked breath and sobbed. "He always hurt Mama-bot and not love Wazzpinator. He kill Mama-bot and burned down house and… _And…"_

"Shhhhh," Terrorsaur took his hand away from my wing and he brought it up to rest it on the back of my neck. He wrapped his hand around it and gently massaged the scruff plating there. I purred and make a hiccupping sob that trailed away into low crying. Terrorsaur cooed into my audio and kept rubbing the back of my neck while stroking my antenna. _"I_ love you."

I wanted to respond back, but I rubbed our pelvises together at a new angle and pleasure ripped down my legs before looping back up again. I shuddered in response, moaning loudly when I shifted his lower half to the left ever so slightly. I rolled my hips and Terrorsaur moaned in sync when I accidentally stimulated a pocket cluster of wires in his port. We both rocked and moaned to each other in harmony until Terrorsaur's spark pulsated strongly. Reality started to fade and Terrorsaur's essence tried to show me something.

My partner gasped and writhed. "Fraggit…"

Reality wavered and returned to normal, though it did try to haze into nothing again. Terrorsaur tried to shake it off and whimpered. This time, I found myself in front of his memory's door trying to get the handle to move. "Terror-bot, let me see. Wazzpinator let you so you let Wazzpinator."

"You don't want to see it We already saw enough bad slag as it is," he whimpered. He tried to shake it off when I tried to pull the door open, but it creaked ever so slightly. My vision started to haze and, while I worked the entry to the memory open, I kissed up his neck.

"Pleazze, Terror-bot."

He whined and reached up to wrap his arms around me tightly. Then he let me in.

The room I found myself looking in dull blue walls and a white carpet. The room was surprisingly bare except for the bed in the far corner of the room, a desk beside it, and a dresser at its foot. Part of the room poked out from the main square and the wall there was fashioned with a window that shone brightly with morning light. The luminescence caught on the bare room's walls, giving it a cheerful glow, but the rest of the room's empty condition made it eerily so. Underneath the windowsill was a small figure. Upon further inspection, I made out a small scarlet shell sporting bright red wings. His name was Terrorsoar.

"Terror-bot is so tiny," I said with awe. And he _was_. He was no bigger than me when I was a toddler, and he was hunched over something with an object in hand. Coloring was a part of Earth culture that Cybertronians came to adopt for the purpose of entertaining sparklings, but the way Terrorsoar drew gave me the impression that it was no idle matter for him. Even at such a young age, his ability to draw was amazing. Upon closer inspection, it looked like he was drawing a city from a flier's perspective. The shapes of the rooftops were angled in a very realistic adult manner and Terrorsoar stuck his tongue out of his mouth at an angle while he worked. I exhaled in awe again. "Terror-bot is awesome drawer."

He buried his head against the crook of my neck.

There was a creaking sound and the infant looked up to see the door to the bedroom open. The small Seeker's wings rattled against his body and he quickly stood, dropping a blue crayon on the pad of paper he had been using. The door opened and a black and red figure stepped inside.

Terrorsaur shuddered in fear against me. His past sparkling image did as well.

"Mama?"

Terrorsoar's mother was named Firehawk. She was a tall and thin Predacon with deep, maroon optics that bore into her son like a sharp tipped knife. From what Terrorsoar knew at such a young age, she worked at a brothel in downtown Betacron. She also provided services outside her workplace. Terrorsoar often had to stay awake at night listening to the sounds of the mechs she brought into their home and pleasured just outside his room for easy cash.

My scarlet star had been an accident, conceived by mistake when his mother had a brief spark uplink with one of her 'good paying customers' in the back room of a bar. It took two weeks for Firehawk to realize she was with spark and, needless to say, she was outraged with herself. She… She actually tried to raise money to get herself an abortion.

Femme mothers who wanted to terminate their pregnancies - usually when they had malfunctioned or accidental sparklings - needed to pay to get admitted to special facilities. They also had to pay a good deal of credits in order to have the infant extinguished depending on how long she was with spark. Unfortunately for Firehawk, there was a criminal investigation concerning illegal prostitution that covered her usual grounds when it came to finding people who would pay her. Attempting to sell some of her own belongings proved fruitless too and, by her fourth week with spark, the price to abort her sparkling was too high. Had she discovered she was pregnant just a week earlier than she had, she would have most definitely had the procedure to kill Terrorsoar.

Terrorsaur made a meek, shrill sound underneath me. That part of the memory bothered him greatly.

Of course, even if she _wasn't_ able to get Terrorsoar taken out of her, she still figured she would have no problem at all dumping him in an orphanage. After Terrorsoar was born at a hospital her brothel employer admitted her to, her plan backfired right in her face. A proposition passed by the Maximal Elders stated that orphanages could refuse sparklings if they met certain criteria and, because Terrorsoar did not have a legitimate father, he was refused. Firehawk desperately tried to find the mech who fathered Terrorsoar but, sadly enough on her part, she never found him. She was stuck with her bastard baby Predacon.

Either way, the dark glare she gave her son in the memory was frightening.

…For her son, the fright escalated to dread when she came closer. Her steps were even and her stride large, she crossed the room in no less than four strides. An enerarette - based off the humans' cigarette with raw energon instead of nicotine - hung out of the corner of her mouth and she stepped down on the drawing her child had worked on. The crayon underneath her heel was crushed and smashed against the paper, ruining the drawing to the point where Terrorsoar would most certainly need to start over again. She kneeled down in front her son with enough grace that she could have been confused with an angel.

The smoldering look in her optics said otherwise. The look scared me and reminded me of a hungry dog advancing on an innocent kitten.

"Hold out your arm."

Terrorsoar cowered in the corner, completely trapped with no way to escape. His small, infant Seeker wings shuddered and rattled against his tiny frame. "I'm s-s-sorry mama. I won't d-do it again. Please don't-"

"_Give me your arm." _His mother's voice was a hiss, perfectly toned and a sound more suited for a snake than a Predacon. Then again, the way her eyes glimmered at her cowering son was almost serpent like. _"Now."_

"_Mama, please! Ma-"_

The femme Predacon shot a lithe hand out and grabbed Terrorsoar's wrist, jerking it forward. The toddler Seeker cried out and squeaked in pain as his mother dug her claw like fingers into her son's delicate plating. She reached up and plucked the 'cigarette' out of her mouth, twirling it in her sadistic talons.

Terrorsoar tried to worm his hand out of his mother's grasp, but the female's hold was far too powerful for the sparkling. Even with his wings so small, flying was entirely out of the option and impossible. Instead, his only weapons were his tears and his crying, and even they were useless against the ruthless mother. Tears erupted from his eyes and he struggled to get away, crying the entire time. "Mama, no! I'll be good, I won't leave my toys out again, I _pomise!_ Muh_-Mama! Pl-"_

Terrorsoar screeched and sobbed when the larger Predacon brought the burning end of the enerarette down onto his arm. She pressed down hard enough to cause a first degree burn before pulling it back up and jabbing it down on another portion on his arm. The sparkling's dejected cries were heart wrenching as the red and sliver Seeker screamed and writhed, begging his mother to let him go. Finally, after six, maybe seven jabs, she stopped.

She pushed her son's arm away and Terrorsoar brought it up against his chest, slumping to the floor to cower and cry. The Seeker's wing's rattled against his body and his abused arm trembled with it. Nearly entirely curled into a ball, the young infant looked up at his mother with deep, watery optics that asked only one question. Why?

Any other normal parent would've comforted their sparkling when they were in such a state. Instead, Terrorsoar's mother stood up and turned to leave, her stride wide and even. "Ask for dinner tonight and I'll do the same to your other arm," she sneered, stopping in the doorway to hiss at her sparkling. In an instant, she had slammed the door to Terrorsoar's room, knocking a small picture on the wall down. It hit the floor and the glass shattered.

Terrorsoar merely sat in the corner and cried.

After the memory finally faded, I was stunned into silence.

Terrorsaur seemed as though he was too. He made a gulping noise, his optics watering and then he arched his neck and sobbed in a similar fashion he had as a sparkling. His chest heaved with the movement - I could tell he was trying not to look at me - and his spark pulsated in agony.

I kissed up his neck and the underneath of his chin where in an attempt to comfort him. "Wazzpinator here…" I brought a hand underneath his neck and rubbed the back of it gently. It was enough of a coax to make him look back at me and I kissed around his face, bringing a hand up to stroke his right cheek with a trembling index finger. The memory had also left me shaken, Terrorsaur could not blame me I don't think, but it did not make seem to make my scarlet star feel any better. My crimson flier kept bawling even when I rocked our frames together and kissed him deeply. It turned into an open mouthed, needy kiss clicks after it started and Terrorsaur still could not stop himself. I pulled away, looking him in the eyes, and I held his face lovingly. "Why she-?"

"I was an accident," Terrorsaur whimpered, optics dimming. "She… she was a _whore_. My father bailed out and my mother only had me because an abortion cost too much. She thought she'd have no trouble dumping me in an orphanage, but…" Terrorsaur hiccupped and lost his breath, gasping to catch it before he went back to sniveling. "None of them would accept me because I was a bastard Predacon. My mother had to keep me, and she _hated_ me for it."

I stroked my scarlet star's wings in an attempt to ease his dismay and he mewled pathetically at the touch. Terrorsaur shuddered and I continued my ministrations before kissing down his neck. "What happened with-?"

"I ran away," Terrorsaur whimpered, grabbing my waist and forcing our ports further together in a vain attempt to make me forget the subject matter. Static crackled between us but I kept myself from moaning to press him on. Terrorsaur seemed to realize I was not going to let him skim over the issue but he barely had the ability to continue without moaning in bliss himself. "I ran away when I was old enough to realize she would never come around. I stole what money I could and… And I just ran…"

"Terrorsaur lived alone?"

He could not answer. He gasped and bucked suddenly when our sparks slipped further together. A hot wave of bliss erupted from my chest and shot down to my midsection. The stimulation was enough to send me into a pulsing frenzy without further consent. Terrorsaur cried out against the electrical assault hammering between his legs and he made small, circular motions with his hips to feel the full force of my driving pulsations. I moaned back when he grinded himself against my body like that.

Another memory tried to unearth itself. It was from Terrorsaur again - the way his spark pulsated trying to reveal something was a dead giveaway - but Terrorsaur suddenly gasped and slammed his mental barriers up. _"NO! Oh_ _Primus not that_ _one!"_

I gasped in return. This time the door he had locked from my viewing was ten times more reinforced than the memory he tried keeping me from before. The door was shatterproof with steel chains, holographic electrical bars, and was made from titanium with a lock the size of my fist. I found myself in front of that door, almost afraid to attempt touching the handle. I tried to move towards it but Terrorsaur bucked and arched underneath me. I kept myself from loosing sight of the reminiscence he was trying desperately not to let me see. Gently, I kissed up his face and down his jaw, sucking on his neck lovingly. "Terrorsaur-"

"Don't make me show this to you," he said trying to hold back sobs. They were borderline near complete hysteria and, for the record, it greatly worried me. "Oh please Waspy, you _don't_ want to see it. You'll hate me forever."

The way he said it worried me extensively. I kissed the underside of his chin guard again and gripped the back of his neck where the scruff was. He moaned breathlessly but still kept his barriers up. I brought my face away from his jaw and whispered into his audio. "Wazzpinator would never hate Terrorsaur for anything."

"You'll wish you never tried to bond with me."

That hurt me deeply. I razzed and let my wings go erect from the fact that he would even have the _slightest_ notion that I would reject him. I wrapped both my arms around his neck and held him beneath me. "Wazzpinator promises he won't. Please."

He hesitated. He hesitated for quite sometime before I felt the first of the chains fall away from the door. Another fell, then another, and even the invisible electrical bars were dimming and loosing power. The lock fell to the ground with a resonating crash that echoed like a bat's scream deep within the bowels of a cave. I moved towards the door uncertainly and Terrorsaur started to tremble violently. I had originally thought it was going to be a quick spasm, but he kept shaking and the horrible thought that he was seizing crossed my mind. I held onto him tightly and braced myself against his crimson and silver frame. He calmed down enough after a few cycles to speak. "I-I'm f-fine…"

"Its that bad, isn't it?" I asked to no one in particular.

Terrorsaur seemed to misunderstand that my question was not directed at him. He nodded shakily and tremors kept making his form shiver. "You'll regret ever touching me or letting me touch you. I'm not kidding."

I kissed him to silence him. I probed his jaw and he let me in with what felt to be uncertainty again. I brushed my tongue along his and ran it over the roof of his mouth just as I began to push the door to his memory open. He whimpered beneath my weight, continuing to shake, but he let me push the heavily reinforced door ajar. I stepped inside and the both of us were submerged inside the recollection.

After the Great War, another part of Earth culture that carried over to Cybertron was in regards to education. Without a war to fight, the general public were given the chance to put down their guns and go in pursuit of something in life that they wanted to do. Jobs were nice, true, but a career was so much more stable and many times more rewarding. Grade schools were set up to prepare Cybertronians for better lives, but those who only made it past the planet's equivalent of high school still did not have much of a chance at successfully living life to the fullest. College was one of the few things that guaranteed success in some form or another.

Considering the situation Terrorsaur had said he had been in - he had run away from home with only a handful of money - I would have never expected him to get there if he hadn't told me before when he was making the graphic designs on his custom rocket. As to how he got money for the tuition though, I was clueless.

He felt my questioning air. "It was a raffle. I won a ten thousand credit, two stellar cycle tuition for art school."

The classroom his memory showed was beautiful. The floors were a polished, radiant light brown wood that shimmered an almost gold in the light that shone through the windows lining the high, far left wall. While classroom had a white board on the front wall and a teacher's desk in the dead center, the rest of the room rose on high bleachers towards the back. Rising upward at a diagonal incline was a staircase that was flanked on either side by rows of individual seats with a single long desk fashioned in front of them. There were eleven rows of these seats on either side of the staircase that divided the two groups straight up the middle, making twenty-two rows in all. Each row fit five students and, doing the math and seeing all the seats filled, I came to the conclusion that there were approximately a hundred and ten students in total.

A hundred and nine of these were Maximal. Seeing the form of a scarlet Seeker sitting in the second row on the right, I could see only one was a Predacon.

The teacher stood to the front of the room, a Maximal insignia very much visible on his torso, as he looked towards the ceiling and called out. "Lights please!" The shades to the room closed three fourths of the way from cutting off the light to the room completely. The professor moved towards his desk and hit the large red button on the topside of what looked to be a projector. On the whiteboard adjourning the front classroom wall, the scanned image of a poster pasted itself there. Across the top read "Wanted For Hire: Military Weapon Seal Designers" with the Autobot insignia beneath the title. Printed text was underneath this as well, but it was far too obscured for me to read. The teacher turned to his class. "As you can see, the Great War was a time for Cybertron to develop its weaponry. During this time however, many companies were producing these weapons. Each company frequently printed a company seal on their products to avoid other corporations from stealing their designs and getting away with it, but it was also tactical for selling their products. A seal that looked dangerous would sell better than others."

There was a collective silence in the room. The professor looked up all the rows - I randomly noticed his eyes were a similar color to Megatron's - before he hit the button on the projector. It deactivated with a sigh and the Maximal spoke again by asking the shades to open again. They did and the room was engulfed in light once more. I could see dust motes sparkling gold and white in the air.

"So, to make these seals, industries would hire digital artists that you yourselves strive to be. However, while some corporations wanted complex designs to catch patrons' eyes, the most successful of these companies were the ones that had simpler logos. Can anyone tell me what the successful seals had in common?"

Of all one hundred and ten hands, only one shot up and only one remained up. Of all one hundred and nine Maximals, it was the one Predacon.

Terrorsoar looked similar to his sparkling self, though he had very clearly filled out since then. He was thin, maybe about six foot three, with a narrow waist and broad chest in a fashion that was not too far off from how he looked as a pterodactyl. He was a reverse custom Seeker with the aft of his vehicle-mode on his chest and his bright yellow cockpit adorned on his back. His wings swept out behind him so he wouldn't bump them against the Maximals flanking his either side. The position of his wings looked to be an uncomfortable one, but he made up for it by leaning forward in his seat so his forearm - the hand that was not high up in the air - rested on the polished desk. His face, though slightly younger and a tad bit thinner around the cheeks, was identical to the Terrorsaur I had fallen in love with. His eyes were a bright scarlet.

Although his was the only hand raised, the teacher seemed to purposely be looking away from him. I mentally frowned and felt Terrorsaur's shaking underneath me lessen somewhat. Whatever it was that he was so afraid of letting me see, that part of the memory was not going to happen for awhile.

The teacher looked up and down the rows, ignoring Terrorsoar. "Oh come on! This is _ninth grade_ art level! You should _know_ this!"

But no one raised their hands. Terrorsoar sat in his seat, a somewhat aggravated look crossing his features, and he waved his arm back and forth slightly. The air around him was partially annoyed that he was being ignored and it took me a moment longer to understand why.

"Terrorsaur is only Predacon on campuzz, isn't he?"

"All Maximals," he said tiredly underneath me. I could tell he was trying to ignore the reminiscence. "I was the only Pred on those grounds for about ten fragging miles. They all hated me because of that."

That was partially understandable on my part. Predacons were second class citizens after all, and as such they were surviving just barely. Most of the time, Maximals only saw our kind if they commuted back and forth in large cities. Because the Maximal citizens rarely saw us unless it was in the news for some sort of negative reason - a Predacon shooting a Maximal cop to protect himself, though the papers would never include the fact it was in self defense - and that generally gave the upper class a very bad impression of us. On top of the fact we were descended from the one powerful Decepticon line, they saw us as an infestation not worthy of the freedom they were allowed.

To the one hundred and nine students in the class, the many more on the entire campus, and the teachers, hearing about a Predacon in a college was unheard of. Having one in their own school was something that greatly bothered them.

The teacher pointed towards the back. "You there! Yes, I know you can see me, you just made eye contact a click ago. Tell me what kind of line was used in the successful seals."

A yellow and green Maximal sitting in the tenth row on the left stared at the college professor like he had turned a hot shade of pink. "Uh… I don't remember?"

"_Nonsense!"_ The Maximal professor threw his hands into the air in exasperation. He turned and walked back to his desk, sitting on the edge of it, and he made erratic gestures with his hands while he spoke. "You don't remember it, you don't _know_ it! You weren't paying attention when I went over this last week!" The teacher scanned over the room, skimming over Terrorsoar again, and he pointed to an orange and red femme in the fifth row on the left. "You there! Can _you_ tell us?"

She blinked and bit her bottom lip. "Horizontal?"

The professor made a frustrated noise and he made wild gestures with his hands again. "Horizontal lines are the most docile lines in the art world! Why the frell would a company wanting to sell weapons of mass destruction want a docile, peaceful symbol!"

Terrorsoar brought his other hand to his face and coughed loudly. The sound carried across the open expanse of the room easily and all optics were on him. Even the teacher looked over and, to his apparent displeasure, he made eye contact with the Predacon Seeker.

The professor sighed. "Anyone _else?_"

No one raised their hands and all the Maximals stayed silent. The one Predacon in the room waved his arm again.

The teacher sighed. "…_Terrorsoar?_"

Terrorsoar dropped his hand back down onto the table with a loud thud. He lifted both hands, slapped them together, and then held them out in front of him with an expression that was equally exasperated as his professor. "_Diagonal._ The lines were _diagonal._ They give the appearance of being dangerous in the art world, so the most successful companies would all use dangerous looking lines to put on their product logos."

His _voice_. Gods, it was one of the most musical sounding thing I had ever heard. Terrorsaur's squawked, rasped voice was completely absent from the way he talked. It greatly surprised me and I briefly wondered why his voice was so rough sounding when I first met him in the warehouse.

The teacher said nothing for a moment. He turned away after a click or so and, using his fingers on the whiteboard's touch screen surface, he wrote the word 'Diagonal' across the shell. "Out of all of you, I'm disappointed to know that the only _Predacon_ amongst us was able to come up with the correct answer."

There were collective mumblings in the twenty-two rows and Terrorsoar's optics narrowed. A bell suddenly rung and the students were all getting up and leaving.

"There will be a test before your long weekend, so study hard. Remember to take your art portfolios with you to look over too," the professor said with a tone that was borderline extreme irritation. He began erasing what he had written on the board with a vigor that was equally irritated. As students stood to leave, Terrorsoar stood and folded his wings against his back so the other three students to his left could get out. The last one to exit the row passed him and, to my shock, he elbowed him in the gut. Terrorsoar winced and flinched from the blow but otherwise said nothing. The student did not even apologize and, as soon as he was in the aisle on the staircase, I saw him sniggering with his friends over what he had done. It disgusted me.

As the other students filed out of the room, going up to the teacher's desk and picking up what I presumed to be their respectful art portfolios, Terrorsoar took his time collecting his books before shoving them into a book bag. He slung it over his shoulder, exited his row, and walked down the stairs in even steps that were far more eye catching than the other Maximals' uneven steps. Terrorsoar approached the teacher and stood in front of his desk with his arms with his arms stiffly crossed.

The teacher did not even turn. "Yes, Mr. Terrorsoar?"

"The only _Predacon_ was able to come up with the correct answer?" Terrorsoar had said it with a tone that was just as annoyed as the teacher's. "I'd prefer it if you didn't use refer to me like that. It makes me feel like I'm not equal to the rest of the class."

"My apologizes then," the teacher said. The way he said it did not convince me that he had meant it. I supposed that, by the way Terrorsaur was annoyed over the issue, it had happened many times before. Regardless though, Terrorsoar seemed to let the subject drop. He reached for his portfolio on the opposite side of the desk but, before he could even touch it, the teacher had placed his hand over it. I hadn't seen the Maximal teacher move until his palm pressed firmly on the large vanilla folder that was apparently Terrorsoar's. It seemed twice as thick as the other students'.

Terrorsoar snapped his head up to look at the teacher. "Sir?"

The professor made a noise and looked my scarlet star right in his eyes. "While we're here, I suppose I should talk to you about your work. You're portfolio doesn't follow the exam curriculum I'm afraid."

My scarlet star blinked at the teacher. "Wha… how so? I went by all the instructions. I even purchased that damn editor program you said would bring my grade back up. I almost did not have enough for the dorm rent and I could not make up the money for the window a few of the other students vandalized a week ago."

The teacher picked up the file, now _very_ obviously thicker than the rest of the students' that I had seen before, and the Maximal moved the projector on his desk so he could set it down. He sat down at his desk and flipped it open.

I gasped. _"Terrorsaur…"_

Terrorsaur trembled underneath me, obviously greatly disturbed.

But I could not understand why he wouldn't want to be reminded. Inside the large folder were perhaps hundreds of brightly colored digital printouts, all of which were absolutely stunning. I found myself staring in awe at his work. None of the other students had _anything_ on Terrorsoar - their work was mediocre compared to his - and I was hoping the teacher would at least skim through a few more pieces. He did not turn anymore pages though, and he only merely looked up at Terrorsoar. "It just doesn't compare with the rest of the class."

That, I thought, was _bull_. Seeing how no one else could answer a single ninth grade level question made more so. How they could possibly achieve a better grade than Terrorsoar was beyond belief. The professor flipped out another file, this one being a picture of what I recognized to be an angel, but the seraph itself was a brilliant emerald. I blinked at the odd choice of color for the being, but then I noticed the angel was looking at something. I followed its gaze and I found myself looking at a night sky.

The stars were scarlet.

The college educator spoke. "This one here. It's… Not what I asked for."

Terrorsoar's eyes narrowed. His voice dropped to a low tone and he leaned closer. "That's _slag_. There were ten other students that did angels for that segment and all of theirs were half assed. I was the only one that stayed late to work on that assignment and I worked on it for another four days after that. The others did not even use the program you asked us to use. I _did_. Exactly how is it not what you asked for?"

The teacher seemed to get agitated by this. He stood up and met Terrorsoar's gaze. "Don't use that tone with me."

"You're _failing me,"_ the red seeker hissed. "The rest of the class is passing and I do twice as much work as they do. I even asked if I could stay after and, even when you say yes, I show up and you're not even here. I even did all the extra credit assignments and I'm still _failing."_

The Maximal teacher glowered at his Predacon pupil hard. "Again Mr. Terrorsoar, I suggest you watch your tongue. Do not speak to me as if I was a member of your same faction. This conversation should be kept Maximal."

Terrorsoar was set off by this. _"Excuse me?_ That's _racist."_

The professor shook his head and turned away from the table to walk over to the room's exit. His footfalls echoed on the hardwood floor and reverberated off the walls of the large auditorium like classroom. "It's a common fact, I'm afraid to inform you, that Predacons are far more aggressive and unfortunately more barbaric than Maximals. I would simply prefer it that we kept our conversion on a more Maximal scale. Wouldn't you agree?"

Terrorsaur stood on place, placing a hand almost protectively on his angel orientated piece of digital work, and he called after the Maximal with a shocked expression. His anger suddenly seemed to peak and his face twisted into a terrible sneer. It was an enraged look. "What _the FRAG!_ Maximals were the ones that broke the window to my dorm room with the block that said _go back to the Pitt_ written on the sides! You're saying that's _not_ barbaric!"

"Congratulations. Allow me to deduct fifty points off your final grade for this quarter. I hope you're pleased with yourself."

Terrorsaur's fury died instantly, replacing itself over with horror. The scarlet mech's optics went wide with dread. "Wha… Pitt, you're _kidding!_ I need to pass this class in order to stay in the school system for the second quarter. All my other teachers have failed me for my final grade, and if I don't pass at least this class-" Terrorsoar's voice cracked then and his optics suddenly misted over. If there was one thing I had suddenly learned about my to-be-mate from his memories, it was that he was a very emotional mech in his earlier life. His resolve had completely left him and he let out a frustrated sob. "Dammit, I won't have a snowball's chance in a furnace to _graduate!"_

The professor stopped short of exiting the room - or so it seemed as though he was getting ready to leave - and he stood with his hand extended towards the handle. Terrorsoar let his head drop and he watched the floor through teary optics, his shoulders trembling just barely in the light that glared through the room's high windows. Either way, the Maximal spoke quietly. "Your current grade is a sixty, giving you an F plus, so if I were to erase all your grades from my grade book… I could perhaps give you a special assignment to make up for all your bad scores. We could make that up now if you like, Terrorsoar. Perhaps you can make up the fifty points you lost on your final grade as well."

Terrorsoar's head snapped up, his scarlet eyes alit with renewed hope. "Really? You're serious?"

Then the teacher made a move towards the handle and pressed his finger up against the center of the handle. A scanner inside registered the Maximal's energy signature and the door locked. Beneath me, Terrorsaur gripped my shoulders hard enough to make the metal groan. He whimpered and held me tighter against his trembling form just as I realized what was going on.

My mouth fell open. "Oh my _gods."_

But Terrorsoar was still clueless. "…Mr. Beacon? What are you-?"

"You know, Terrorsoar," the teacher said lowly when turning away from the door. Something in the Maximal's mauve optics sparkled in a way I could tell Terrorsoar did not like and, in an instant, I wanted desperately to kill Beacon more than I had even wanted to kill Firehawk. The Maximal stalked forward, letting his shadow cast itself over the door in a menacing fashion just as he spoke again. "I'll admit, I was very adamant about not wanting a Predacon in my class. Your kind consists of rebel rousers and delinquents just like your ancestors. Even though the laws require we allow anyone to participate our school, most others are beginning to segregate even though there's no amendment in the Pax Cybertronia that says we are required to do so. Many teachers unions are working on presenting a proposition to make Predacon and Maximal school segregation mandatory. I'll vote for it when the time comes."

Beacon had crossed the room in even, calculated strides. His steps were very much similar to Firehawk's, but her movements were only vicious. Beacon's were suddenly very much predatory and far too rapacious for my tastes. Terrorsoar's eyes flashed in a wounded manner and the scarlet stars he wielded misted over again. His voice was high with disbelief. _"…What?"_

"I mean every word I say," the teacher drawled, smiling in a far too sweet fashion as he approached. "Its in your programming that your kind is evil to a degree, but that shouldn't be allowed to influence our society now that the Great War ended two hundred and ninety so stellar cycles ago. Whatever Optimus was thinking when he came up with the Pax Cybertronia saying Predacons were to be treated as if their ancestors did nothing to nearly takeover the universe, I'll have no idea."

Terrorsoar's voice was teary and broken. "Predacons _aren't_ Decepticons. We're Transformers just like the Maximals. Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."

"Except for those who decline the freedom of others by attempting to put the universe under their dictatorship."

"That was the _Decepticons!_ _Not_ the Predacons!"

By this time, Beacon had closed the distance between them and put himself inside Terrorsoar's personal space. The teacher's purplish red eyes locked with the Seeker's and they held a disturbingly possessive gleam to them. The professor smirked when Terrorsoar's own optics flashed nervously from the close proximity and, almost casually, the teacher reached an arm around the young Predacon's shoulders. "No need to get upset, Mr. Terror. Despite my moral issues with Predacons, you should be thankful I'm still giving you a chance to make up your assignments at all. At least your race is good for one thing it seems. While you all lack the proper circuits to maintain any decency, your looks are quite-"

As soon as the Maximal touched his arm to the back of the red Seeker's neck, Terrorsoar flung himself away from Beacon. The Predacon backed away, his chest heaving from hyperventilation with the realization of what was going on, and he tried to brush past the teacher. "Excuse me."

"I'll fail you."

Terrorsoar stopped dead in his tracks, his rapid footfalls ceasing when he tried to reach the door - not that he would be able to get out seeing his only exit was locked - and he stood in place. His wings began to rattle against him with rising fear and it reminded me horribly when his mother had abused him. The scarlet flier's voice was hoarse with sheer fear. "Please-"

"Another fifty points off your final score."

Terrorsoar started to cry again, this time silently from panic and physiological torment. The Seeker slowly turned around, his head low, and he walked back over to Beacon. My own spark flared in agony over his suffering and I realized exactly why Terrorsaur was afraid of Megatron so much. Our tyrant of a leader and the professor had the same exact menacing colored optics.

Beacon chuckled evenly. "We can start on your first digital practice piece. You're grade was a D minus I think, seventy three points. Let's say you could make that an A if…"

The Maximal told Terrorsoar outloud and in detail what he wanted my scarlet star to do. I wanted to vomit hearing it, but blind rage overrode the thought of doing such a thing. Terrorsaur trembled underneath me, whimpering into my neck and obviously wanting the sick memory to end, and I felt his grip on me flex when the college teacher extended a hand to rub the Seeker's wings. His fingers traced over the Predacon signals there and pressed against them painfully when the teacher finished speaking.

Without anywhere else left to run to, Terrorsoar fell to his knees before Beacon's codpiece with a silent sob.

Terrorsaur cried out underneath me. _"STOP IT!"_

The memory shattered, him being so shaken that it skipped over the entire scene completly. I was very much glad it did even though our dive into his past did not end there. We were seemingly outside the campus now, rain pouring down on the sidewalk that lead to the dorms, and bright moonlight served as the only luminescence. A figure half stumbled, half staggered down the sidewalk with his portfolio underneath his arm in an attempt to hide it from the rain. The water from the whether was not acidic like it had been during the times of the Great War, but it was obviously going to be very damaging to the folder Terrorsoar carried if he did not shield it.

The Predacon's face would have been stained with tears had the rain not hidden it.

Scrapes covered his chest and around his lower abdominal regions in a conspicuous manner and, with my spark pulsating in just as much pain as my wingmate beneath me, Terrorsoar had obviously been raped several times by Beacon. It made me want to gouge the Maximal's optics out for what the perverted monster had done to my scarlet star, but the anger turned to dread when three figures emerged from behind Terrorsoar. They had appeared from between two classroom buildings and Terrorsoar hadn't even realized they were there until one of them brought the tire iron down on his head.

Terrorsaur jerked underneath me when the sound of metal hitting metal rang through our minds. I gripped either side of his head and held him in place tightly, buzzing my wings in an attempt to ease the stress on both of us. The three Maximals that jumped Terrorsoar beat him to a near bloody pulp. The one with the tire iron slammed the blunt thing down on the Seeker's sensitive wings while one of the others roughly kicked him in the head for good measure. The third managed to wrestle the portfolio from the Seeker's hands before tossing it aside so it could soak and get ruined in the downpour. He then returned to the beating and all three of them attacked Terrorsoar to the point where he laid on the asphalt nearly a quarter dead. They laughed cruelly and one of them suddenly kicked Terrorsoar square in the throat.

Terrorsaur squawked and sobbed underneath me. It did not take a genius to figure out where his screeched and rasped voice had come from.

The three Maximals left and it took the Predacon Seeker a good megacycle to pull himself together. The memory did not drag out that long thankfully - Terrorsoar was not very conscious for a good portion of the time he lied there - and he sat up to see his hard work destroyed by the rain. He did not have the energy left to cry over anything at that point and his permanently damaged, sore vocalizer made it impossible to carry the task out. The next morning, several staff members greeted him outside his dorm saying that he was expelled for assaulting a teacher with the backup of three witnesses. My scarlet star did not care anymore, though. He left the college campus, a hardened look in his scarlet optics, with his spirit broken in too many pieces to fix. Deep down inside his spark, a part of him died just as horribly as his hard work in college had. He took a cab to the outskirts of Betacron and got a job as a pilot for a shipping company.

The memory faded and Terrorsaur's form wracked with shuddering sobs. I held him and kissed his forehead, willing his pain to go away. "Terrorsaur-"

"It was because I was Predacon that they hated me so much. My digital arts teacher raped me. I'd never-" He broke off into wild, uncontrolled tears and he all but completely lost control of his agony. I knew what he wanted to say though.

'He'd never felt so disgusted,' I thought.

Terrorsaur babbled ludicrously in his relived pain. "I'm s-so s-_sorry…"_

"For _what?"_ I rumbled against him. I buzzed my wings and kept thrusting into him, hoping to at least ease his tension, but he mewled and continued to tremble underneath my body.

"I _slept with him!"_ His wail cracked and he gasped for air. "Waspinator, how can you still _love me_ if you know I did that! I let him get off on me because I needed to pass! How can you still _want me!"_

His question caught me off guard and, with a start, I realized that he did not want me to see his horrid memory due to the fact he had let Beacon rape him. I razzed and kissed down his face, catching his lips with my mandibles. I rubbed them over his mouth and he gently nipped one out of instinct. I pulled away after a cycle and buzzed gently in his audio. "Becauzze Wazzpinator loves Terrorsaur. Terrorsaur did not do what he did on free will, Terrorsaur wazz forced."

He trembled underneath me again, this time harder and in a similar way he had been prior to showing me the memory. After a moment, he hugged my form to him in a desperate form of gratitude. He did not say thank you because his actions spoke louder than anything.

Finally, another one of my memories surfaced. As soon as a realized what it was, I had no time to stop it. Though it was not even close to being as bad as Terrorsaur's previous one, this was one that I was sure would make him not want me at all.

Seeing the boulevard corner underneath the street lamp, I realized instantly this was a memory from my prostitution stellar cycles.

I tried to shake it off and failed miserably. Terrorsaur did not have the free will and the resources to keep Beacon from sexually assaulting him, but I interfaced with people on free will on a daily basis for _money_. Though I did it only to survive, that was not something I wanted Terrorsaur to realize about me. I was no better than Firehawk.

Terrorsaur clung to me. His voice wavered from his still oncoming tears but, regardless, he managed to speak clearly enough for me to understand. "Whatever it is, please let me see."

"Terrorsaur definitely won't want Wazzpinator anymore if he does," I tried to reason. My spark was hammering my chest from the thought of Terrorsaur flat out rejecting me if he saw what he was about to. "Primuzz Terrorsaur, please-" I had not even realized panicked hysteria was about to make me sob. When I did, I found I could not stop. My body was wracked with them and I had no control over my body to stop it.

Terrorsaur hugged me tighter. "Love…"

Back in the memory, my avatar stood leaning against the lamp pole alone. Since becoming an orphan, I had learned quickly how to survive on the streets without my mother's loving care. I was not cold from the lack of love in my life, but I just knew how to survive. Being out on the streets, wrestling other fellow scavengers for food was a near everyday occurrence for me. I _had_ done drugs from time to time, but there was not anything I would get addicted to. Finding suitable nutrients to keep myself functioning was something else entirely though, and very often there was not enough in the trash to support a living Cybertronian. By the time I was seventeen by Cybertronian standards, I had once been so desperate for food that I had gone up to a Maximal trying to enter a cab and asked him for some credits. There was a convenience store across the alleyway I called home that closed around dusk, so I had to hurry and find some sort of cash if I did not want to go to bed starved.

The Maximal turned his head to look at me and he raised his hand to probably swat me away, but then his look of aggravation turned to one of curiosity. He contemplated my appearance for a moment before stepping away from the cab and giving the driver a signal to leave. The cab did so and the Maximal asked me for my name.

"Terminator, sir," I said. My voice was sore from the human equivalent of strep throat. Not living in the company of parents or having the luxury of a home to take care of me, I was very frequently sick living alone. I held out my hands and tried to look as innocent as possible. "Please sir, I haven't eaten in two days and my energy reserves are low…"

The Maximal smiled smoothly at me. The look on his face was very much similar to the look Beacon had in Terrorsaur's last memory. "Ah. My name is Lifelong. I think I know how to solve your problem but I… Need a favor from you in return."

Stupid me, my avatar perked to attention at the thought of getting some form of nourishment for my deprived body. "Really? What do I gotta do?"

Lifelong took my wrist and practically dragged me into the alleyway. He brought me into the darkness and pinned me to the cold wall of a building when we were out of sight of pedestrians on the sidewalk. "I'll show you."

It would've been rape if I hadn't been willing. At the age of seventeen, I lost my virginity to a complete Maximal stranger… And the worst part was the fact I enjoyed it. I got my pay afterwards and spent it all on food across the street. Lifelong vanished forever since then, but the way I let him use my body did not vanish from my strategy in regards to getting money. I sold myself ever since then.

Through the recollection, I was not sure if the fact Terrorsaur went completely still underneath me was a good or bad sign. I figured it was one of the later.

Back to the actual memory where I stood leaning against the steel pole of the street light, it had been five stellar cycles since I lost my virginity to Lifelong. I was twenty-two, taller and more adult looking than I had as a sparkling and late teen, and people could have looked at me and thought I was only mildly handsome. That was my opinion at least, but I could understand why. My helicopter alternate form made me look clumsily bulky in spots like my back and chest. I also looked intimidating. I spent nights in jail occasionally and, once, I was sentenced to three stellar cycles in prison for being part of an all Predacon gang that trafficked illegal stimulants. I got out after two years for good behavior. All in all though, I had the general appearance of my mother. While I had my father's mass, I my mother's coloration and baby blue eyes.

A Maximal strolled into view from across the street and, upon spotting my avatar underneath the light, he quickly walked across the road. He never looked in my avatar's direction but, regardless, I knew he was going for my past self. The Maximal quickly made it to the opposite sidewalk and he strolled almost casually past me. He stood, seemingly looking into the window of the jewelry store that was there, but he spoke a moment later.

"What's your price for a regular interface?"

"Seventy credits," Terminator answered without turning to look at the newcomer. "No less than that."

"Too expensive," the Maximal said. He continued looking into the window despite the fact the store was closed. It was cover of course, and anyone else watching would have presumed that my past self and the Autobot descendant were not even acknowledging each other. "Oral?"

"Thirty," I answered. "I'll give a second after the first overload for ten credits more. You got a name?"

"Rerun, and I'll give you forty credits for the two orals," the Maximal said. He turned away from the window and walked into the alleyway without my past avatar.

Terminator stood out there underneath the street lamp for a moment more before looking up at the sky. There were not any stars out that night for him to look at and study - he had wanted to get into astronomy for the longest time, ever since he was a baby really, though he never got the chance to fulfill that want - so he turned on his heel and walked into the shadows after his newest patron instead.

The memory faded into oblivion and I was too humiliated to cry. My insides were on fire when Terrorsaur did not react at all. I looked down to see my scarlet star's optics closed and his jaw tightly set. He was upset.

My vision blurred and I was terrified to think that maybe another one of my memories was trying to resurface so that Terrorsaur would hate me more. No memories issued forth though, but a painful lump formed in my throat and my eyes burned like there was a fire inches from my face. Hot tears spilled from my optics a moment later and they fell on Terrorsaur's shoulder. His optics onlined and he looked at me with bright optics. At first, my immediate thought was that he was furious. Without preamble, I trembled and found myself frozen in place. I could not even move to hide my face and I cried. "Wazzpinator so, s-so _zzory…_"

He continued to stare up at me with what I thought to be enraged eyes. He suddenly lifted his right arm away from the back of my neck and he balled his fist…

He struck me in the jaw _hard_, sending me sprawling to the floor to end any chances of us bonding.

…That image, at least, was what I _imagined_ would happen. I stared at his fist in silent terror before he gently pressed it against my left cheek gently. Not seeing his fist fly out at me, I trembled harder and unconsciously leaned against that first. He never hit me like I thought he was going to and, after a cycle or so, he opened his fist and pressed his palm against the side of my face. He ran his thumb over the side of my mandible and smiled.

More tears rolled down my face seeing that smile.

My scarlet star slowly shook his head. "If you thought something like that was going to make me leave you, you should get your head checked."

Relief washed over me and, before I could stop myself, I buried my face in his throat and kissed him there. I cried silently while I did it and Terrorsaur wrapped his arms around me again. I could not find my voice to speak, but I mouthed the words I wanted to say against his throat. "Thank you."

He kept me against him until, suddenly, both of our sparks fused further together than they ever had been before. Hot water doused our frames and every circuit in my system and I arched with a cry. Terrorsaur bucked underneath me sweat glistened on his forehead. I hadn't noticed it until he spoke and he closed his eyes to moan. Without the distraction of his beautiful his optics were, I could clearly see the blissful agony washed over his flushed, usually pale features. "Oh_-OH!_ _Ooooooh,_ Waspinator, I'm so _close…"_

I was too. I hammered my hips against his and sent four, maybe five hot pulses without any control left. "Wazzpinator t-there too_-OH!"_

Our sparks were suddenly melding further and further together. There was nothing either of us could do by give into the pleasure.

"_OH!_ Oooooh, _Terrorsaur_, oh _YES!"_

I tried to arch, but the gravitational force our nearly, merged sparks created kept me from doing so. My mandibles flew open in ecstasy and I moaned loud enough to wake the entire base had the soundproof not been activated.

Terrorsaur clenched his face and he moaned as well. "Waspinator, you - mmph - _yeeeeessssssssssssss_. Oh, _Primus, _oh-_ooooooh…"_

Everything began to spiral. Memories flowed back between them at a faster pace and there was not enough time and enough common sense left in us to keep track of them all. I saw his birth, his hardships he faced with his mother, the bar he lived at while serving as a bouncer before he won the raffle to get a college tuition, and I saw him as a shipping pilot leading up to the moments were he first met me. Terrorsaur saw my life living with my mother and violent father until I ended up on the streets where I went to prison before eventually selling myself. Our sparks were near the point of no return and Terrorsaur held me to him as tight as he could.

His voice was barely even a whisper. "I'll love you forever."

I would have responded if I had time to. I didn't.

Then there was the supernova.

Everything went dead silent. White noise blocked out everything else and there was a bright light. The immense pleasure peaked, making heat lance up the both of bodies mercilessly, and our overloads were suddenly suspended by silk stings in midair. It was as if someone had slammed brakes on our bonding. Our glazed optics met and locked like they had so many times before… And then, inside our spark chambers, I felt my essence ease forward even further. Terrorsaur's followed suit and, directly in between our bodies, the sparks morphed together to form a single pulsating sphere of energy.

The red and green lights between us were splashed over one another and, moments later, there was a brilliant gold light that radiated from the now single entity.

Our overloads crashed down on us like a thousand tons of rubble. Though I had hoped to never be caught under such a huge amount of weight again, I did not mind it just this once. I welcomed it. _We_ welcomed it. Our shared overload was so powerful that the energy loop sent electricity crashing through every circuit in my body. I screamed in ecstasy and Terrorsaur mirrored my shriek of release. The sounds were near identical, a tribute to our shared sparks before we both tumbled into unconsciousness in each others' arms.

Five megacycles later, I had awoken first.

My systems slowly whirred to life and I regained consciousness slower than usual. I never remembered exactly when I woke up, but I knew I had maybe been awake for several cycles. I hadn't felt any different at first, but then I slowly registered that my spark's usual pulsations were… off. A usual pulse felt something along the lines of _thump… thump… thump…_ But something here was different. Focusing carefully, stupidly forgetful of the events that had taken place before I had fallen asleep prior - Terrorsaur was practically dead unconscious underneath me - I tried to pinpoint was wrong.

_Th-thump… Th-thump… Th-thump…_

It sounded, oddly enough, as if there were two sparks pulsating in sync in my own chest. Then everything came back to me at once.

Terrorsaur stirred beneath me when I felt my spark flare with remembrance. His optics flickered online, going from a dark maroon to their brilliant scarlet, and he looked up with half asleep eyes. He looked at me blinking stupidly - I probably looked half asleep to him too, so maybe he was trying to determine whether I was awake or not - but I blinked and gently squeezed my hand against his. His optics flashed and his eyes brightened.

And then…

…_Terrorsaur?_


	4. Act IV

**iv**

Terrorsaur's eyes brightened right away, turning a lighter shade of scarlet than his norm. It was an immediate indication that he was surprised by the way I sounded. I was surprised that

Terrorsaur's eyes brightened right away, turning a lighter shade of scarlet than his norm. It was an immediate indication that he was surprised by the way I sounded. I was surprised that he did not seem to recognize me at first, but then I had to mentally remind myself that I did not razz when I thought. I mentally hit myself realizing that he was hearing my 'real voice' for the first time since the Beast Wars began.

…_Waspinator?_ It took Terrorsaur a moment to register that he was in fact talking to me. Our mouths never moved and our vocal processors never stirred. We were actually communicating through a _bondlink._

Terrorsaur was my mate…

…Terrorsaur was my _mate._

I smirked, feeling elation rush through me with the thought, and I nuzzled my new bonded lovingly. _Did not recognize me? Did you seriously think I'd be buzzing at you through the bondlink all the time? I'd probably drive MYSELF insane if I tried that…_ I kissed up the side of Terrorsaur's neck and made a low whining buzz in my throat. Primus, just thinking about the fact we were actual mates made me insane with adoration and excitement.

Terrorsaur's mind was racing. I could _feel_ it. He reached up and extended a hand up to cup the back of my head. He thought about it as plain as day and I shifted my head almost instinctively to the side somewhat so my new mate could rest his palm on the back of my helm.

Terrorsaur smiled. _This… Waspinator this is amazing. I love you so much._

I buzzed and nipped the side of his throat lovingly. He gasped and arched slightly before calming down and exposing his neck so I could find better purchase. I kissed up and down his throat before I stopped and pressed our foreheads together. He stared into my eyes and I stared right back into his pools of scarlet. He finally offlined his optics and kissed me for the first time as a mate and I greatly welcomed him. I reached up and held the sides of his face and he did the same with mine.

"_Terrorsaur, Waspinator! What's keeping you so long! You should have been on duty ten cycles ago and I've given you at least seven hails to get your afts down here!" _

We broke away with a gasp and our sparks flared in surprise from Megatron's voice breaking our silence. I realized with not so much of a start that our chests and ports were still locked together from the night before. Terrorsaur quickly and hastily responded through the communications link that we would be down there in five cycles. He cut the link, looking back up at me with adoring eyes, and I kissed him again. I was sure Megatron would let our tardiness slide this one time - we had been through quite a lot the day before - so I wasn't worried. Considering how lax Terrorsaur was underneath me, he thought the same thing.

_You know,_ I said casually through our new bond, _We're still…_

He finally took note of our still interlocked bodies and he mentally chuckled at that. Our sparks pulsated in sync even when we pulled our chests apart, not breaking their steady rhythm even when they crackled from loosing the immediate closeness. We had to stifle small moans when we brought our ports, still wet with cooled lubricant, away from one another. We swung our legs over the berth and cleaned ourselves up. Light from the rising sun streamed through the long window on the back wall and it illuminated dust motes floating in the air. They sparkled gold just as our sparks did at our climaxes the night prior. When I finished closing myself up, I watched Terrorsaur finish. He closed his chest plates with a steady hand and he met my eyes a moment later. We interlocked gazes and I found it almost comical that the locking gazes we shared when we first met lead to us becoming bondmates.

He smirked. _I look okay?_

_You look fine. But… _I pointed to the barely noticeable smudge of green paint that had chipped of me at some point during the night. It stayed embedded in Terrorsaur's right shoulder and I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't looking for it.

He looked at it and grinned. _Think anyone will notice?_

_I doubt it,_ I answered back smoothly. A round in the CR chambers would erase any visibly physical evidence of our bonding, but the bond would remain all the same.

We left Terrorsaur's quarters and went down to the control room. We were very late indeed. The spiders and Scorponok were already at their posts while Inferno ran patrol. Megatron sat in his throne as usual, doing something on the console that floated before him, while my new mate and I seated ourselves. It was something I was sure the others in the room picked up on, but Terrorsaur and I never spoke outloud _once_ during our time on monitor duty. We spoke practically nonstop over our link instead, experimenting with it to see how it worked. I did seat myself closer to Terrorsaur than I would have usually though, but you only would have noticed if you were paying attention to the little details. Whoever pays attention to those?

Regardless, the room's occupants seemed greatly taken aback by our silence. Blackarachnia and Tarantulus spared glances at one another and Scorponok seemed flabbergasted. Even when Inferno returned from patrol, he also seemed taken aback. Of all the _Darkside_ residents though, Megatron was the worst off. He looked shocked. Even as the week passed, the others still did not seem to get over it. My bonded and I did not give a damn as to what they thought of us though.

Sending mental images to each other took some practice - when we tried it right away, the clarity of the image was either blurred or broken - but then we got to the point where we were able to send pictures to each other mentally. Eventually, with an even greater degree of trial and error over our new bond, we were able to send actual visual feedback to our significant other. My lover and I were quick learners when it came to experimentation with our connection, and it came in handy many when we wanted privacy. Terrorsaur could complain to me about Megatron being a slag headed moron as much as he wanted without ever getting caught and I could tell him how much I loved him without being heard by anyone else who wouldn't understand my complete adoration for him. Even during patrols, the clearness of our bond was powerful enough that we could plainly hear each other's thoughts over the rushing of the wind past our faces.

One day, exactly three weeks after our bond had been established, Terrorsaur was helping me repair a motor in the ship's climate control systems when he asked if we could go to Tanna-16.

_We haven't been there since we got bonded, _he said to me while he handed me a small blue wire.

I took it from him and pulled the old one out of the wall, replacing it with the new one. It dawned on me that he was right and I blinked in surprise. _Tanna? I'd almost forgotten about it!_

_Good thing I reminded you, _he smirked. _No one ever goes out that far except for us. If we're going to have our own bond, we might as well have our own place. _

And the way Terrorsaur said it was _ours_ made me realize he was right. Tanna-16 was Predacon property, true, but it belonged to the two of _us._

I finished up with the necessary repairs and closed the hatch on the portion of motor I had been working on. Checking my internal clock, I found sun wasn't due to set for another six megacycles. I looked up at him, grinned over our bond, and he smiled back at me before popping a question. _Date?_

_It's hardly dating if we're already mated,_ I laughed back.

We reported back to the control room - though not before letting Scorponok know that we had finished with the repairs that had needed to be done - and asked Megatron for a leave to have some recreational time to ourselves. Megatron contemplated us hard for a moment, something that took me by surprise to an extent, before he gave us the permission to leave. I spared my lover a glance and he gave me one back, but we looked away from each other before Megatron could ask why we were still standing there. We shifted to our beast-modes and flew out of the base without a word to one another.

By the time we reached Tanna, the both of us got comfortable and set ourselves on the mountain face. It was too early to watch the sun descend into the horizon like a comet being swallowed by the planet, but neither us were really in the mood to do anything else. Instead, I shifted to beast-mode and started sunning myself on the warm cliff edge. Terrorsaur laughed dryly and, after I heard him shift to his own respectful beast-mode, he threw a wing over me. He laid down beside me and rested his beak across my neck.

I razzed. "Terrorsaur?"

It was one of the first times I had spoken out loud to him since bonding. It felt strange to address him directly and Terrorsaur felt my unease. He caressed the corners of my side of the connection - a trick he had learned and mastered easily - and he nuzzled me. "You're right. This is weird…"

"Wazzpinator can't help but wonder why the Pitt we'zz waited so long to bond," I murmured. I felt snug and cozy in Terrorsaur's warm embrace. He felt my thought and, without a flicker of hesitation, he pulled me closer and pushed the edge of his other wing underneath me. The sunlight that hit his leather acted as a conductor for heat and I felt warm and _safe_ in that hold. I folded my front insect arms underneath my head and gave a contented sigh. Nuzzling my mate, I buzzed my wings and I exhaled nosily. "Wazzpinator would have asked Terrorsaur to bond a long time ago if Wazzpinator wasn't such a chicken-bot."

I felt Terrorsaur flinch.

Surprised, I looked back up at him. _Terrorsaur? _

His face was knotted and he hissed through his beak. "I-I'm fine."

But there wasn't anything he could hide from me anymore. His mind reeled with arousal from my vibrating wings stimulating his own. I buzzed again, mildly curious and wanting to give what his body craved. He had pressed his wing more firmly against me, so I presumed it to be an invitation for me to continue my ministrations and he shuddered with a low whine.

"Not out here," he groaned. "What if someone's watching?"

_This is our place_, I tried to reason. _No one is watching._

I remembered the dream I had after we returned from being slagged by the flying island the first time. I showed him part of what I dreamt while we were in the CR chamber - the part where we made love on Tanna-16's cliff edge - and his arousal spiked like an EMP reading inside a microwave. He dropped his head to the ground and moaned with a shudder. _Waspy, t-there's a c-cave behind us…_

It came to me that it was one that we never even bothered to explore or let alone acknowledge. Without a word mentally or physically, I let Terrorsaur get up and transform to his robot-form. His face was flushed, his optics glazed, and he quickly walked into the cave with his arms wrapped around his stomach. I followed him, crawling in beast-mode before transforming to my robot form mid stride. He was surprisingly submissive when it came to interfacing, oddly enough. I found it perplexing that such a power hungry mech would never try to usurp control from me when I made the first move like this. I did not mind it in the slightest, however. It was far more rewarding to hear his moans of pleasure than my own.

He made it into the dampness of the cave and walked into the darkness. We found a spot that was slightly lit from the light filtering through the cave entrance and Terrorsaur turned with his back to the wall. I descended upon him and he melted into my touches immediately. I took his hips with my hands and I kissed up his throat and face. He gave a whimper and gasp, whispering my name in an octave lower than his usual tone, and his knees shook with the threat of giving out. I trailed my mandibles across his cheek to his lips before kissing him deeply. His knees buckled finally giving out and he slipped to the floor with a stifled noise. He was trying to suppress his pleasure for a long as possible.

I buzzed. _Feel it._

He grit his teeth and made another stifling sound in the far back of his throat. I frowned mentally and I kissed him again before letting my mandibles trail down his neck. His throat, unlike a good portion of the beast-warriors stranded on the planet so far, was made from exposed cables rather than a protective, flexible metal more common among Cybertronians. A single, extra tough casing protected his spinal column among the cables so that it would be no easier to kill him by shooting at his throat than any other Cybertronian. While I made love to him once, I discovered the cables became extra sensitive when he was aroused. I suckled on his throat and, to my surprise, he had bucked hard enough to nearly throw me off. It was a hotspot of his that I loved to abuse.

I nibbled around the smaller cable on the side of his throat and he gave a loud, punctuated gasp. He could not suppress it any longer. He moaned deeply and loudly, his groan echoing and piercing the silence of the cave. He reached his right hand up to press down on the back of my head while his other turned into a tight fist beside him.

"W_-Waspy... _Ooooooo_oooooh, Primus, _Waspinator_ you - mmph…"_

Encouraged, I continued to nip at his neck gently, biting down just hard enough to cause the energy flow in them to build up and send electric jolting waves up and down his body. He responded enthusiastically, moaning in pleasure and tipping his head back for better access. I took the opportunity and explored up his neck towards the underside of his chin. He was gripping my shoulders tightly and, mostly out of reflex, he dug his fingers into my sensitive semi organic plating. I whimpered slightly on instinct as my pain receptors jumped to life slightly, but he got the hint and forced himself to relax. He moaned again as I bit down on another cable lightly, trailing back down his neck.

It was the times like this I loved to hear Terrorsaur shriek in his grating voice. Not in pain, mind you - I never wanted to hear him scream like that ever again - but in the fact he was pleased with what I was doing to him.

He nearly tossed me off him when he bucked violently and arched his back excitedly; letting out a loud, shrieking moan of pleasure as I bit down hard on a sensitive cable. Momentarily afraid I caused him pain as my mind returned to reality, I realized I'd given him quite the opposite as he clawed at my back in a blind attempt to claw me closer. Smiling, I kissed the place I had bit and started to suck gently, inquisitive of his reaction. He _growled_, deep and low,and tipped his head to the side to allow me more space to work with. Very pleased with his response - and curious as to see what other sounds I could make come out of him - I began to push my glossa between the many cables.

For a moment, I felt his spark flare while his chest plate was still fully secure. There wasn't any way he was going to last any longer than necessary. But still… The heat that radiated from the burning sphere that was his entire essence pulled at me, _begging_ me… For the briefest of moments, I swore Terrorsaur whimpered my name and, feeling his spark pull at me a second time and feeling my own essence respond moments later, I knew he had. I involuntarily moaned his name in response quietly to having my spark being pulled, unsure of whether he heard me or not.

From my glossa being forced into every crevasse of his neck, Terrorsaur was panting in quick shallow breaths and whimpering in gratification. I minded not in the least, but he was beginning to buck and writhe much more often. Unable to continue with his constant moving, I straddled him, hooking my legs on his hips to prevent any movement. He gasped lightly and, in turn, his right leg flew around my waist to keep my where I was. Still treating his neck and finding new, delectable places to probe as he continued making the most delicious noises I'd ever heard out of any Transformer, I began to maneuver my hand down his side towards his hip.

I thought it was arousing just to hear him growl at me. I was at my peak when he screamed in bliss after I slipped my hand into his hip strut. He arched his back enough to jar me loose of treating his neck while he shrieked in rapture. Unable to take it, I used my free hand to pry open my chest plate and reveal my spark. I stifled a shudder feeling the cold air of the cave invade my entire body, but it was gone when I heard Terrorsaur's shriek again in bliss. My entire body heated to the boiling point and, feeling my spark trying to pull at Terrorsaur's desperately, I went to remove the plate covering his spark. Without having him notice, I slipped my fingers under the plate and literally ripped it free, exposing the bright senescence of my scarlet star. _My_ scarlet star and no one else's.

He realized now what I'd done and, stifling his shriek before I pulled my hand out of his hip, he shuddered violently and squeaked. The coolness of the cave probably caused him to do this, but his radiating heat and how his spark pulsed for mine again said otherwise. Rolling his head back to its upright position - he had managed to have it lopsided when I treated the wires in his hip - he gazed at me with slightly glazed optics. Slowly, I leaned forward to his audio while purposely having my mandibles brush over his cheek.

"…Wazzpinator only take Terrorsaur if Terror-bot _wants_ Wazzpinator to," I cooed, rubbing imaginary circles on his flank above where I stimulated his hip strut cables.

Terrorsaur's systems were whirring and trying desperately to cool themselves. His optics continued to hold a glazed look to them but I was sure my own optics were in a similar state. I had barely even been pleasured at all whatsoever and a part of Terrorsaur looked guilty because of it. I sent a wave of affection through our bond showing him I did not care. He could barely respond back through the pre-overload that was overtaking his systems, but he nodded and leaned back, exposing his chest more.

_Take me._

I did.

I took his lips rather roughly first before taking his spark. My mandibles caught his ajar mouth and I kissed him hard in a silent form of apology for the brief pain about to come. He felt that thought a split click before I thrust our chests together - I could feel him bracing for it in that split moment - but his emotions through our bondlink showed that he had dropped his guard with me entirely. He showed no resistance, no fear… And the only thing I felt before the pain was total affection spilling over from his end of the link.

I brought our chests together and fire erupted throughout our systems. It burned badly for the first nanoclicks, and I would have recoiled from the brief agony if Terrorsaur hadn't held me in place merely using our physic connection. The pain suddenly erupted again, only this time into intense, white hot ecstasy. We could only scream.

Terrorsaur's was a silent scream - his jaws were rigid as if he was shrieking, though there was no sound - but it was not one of pain. His silence was that of total bliss and he could not even find his voice to screech it. Had he been able to vocalize though, I was sure he would have gained the attention of anyone within a three mile radius of Tanna-16. Heat and euphoria lanced up and down our bodies, causing me to scream as well. I forced my vocalizer offline and the cave was filled with nothing but the violent whir of our systems. Our bond combined with the feedback loop formed from our temporarily fused sparks fashioned the most powerful sensory input I had ever felt since the occasion when I was bonding with Terrorsaur. True it wasn't as powerful as then but, _oooooh Primus,_ he felt so_ good._

Terrorsaur seemed to become more tense almost as if it was all too much for him. I tilted my head to the side and probed my glossa against his mouth asking for entry. Terrorsaur seemed to calm somewhat - as much as a mech in the middle of intense interfacing can - and he clutched shoulders tightly like they were a valuable lifeline while opening his mouth for me to gain access. I pushed my tongue into his cavern and ran it over the roof and floor of his mouth before tracing it over his teeth. He tried to moan, I'm sure he did, but all the sound he made was a tight, strangled groan.

I found myself gripping his shoulders as well, pleasure overriding nearly everything else in my head. If only for a moment at least.

My scarlet star's right hand found my left one, clamping it tightly in a vice grip. Terrorsaur's fingers entwined with mine as our sparks were and he sent a blast of total love through out bond. I had no choice but to clamp onto his hand back, careful to not let my sharp tipped fingers dig into his plating. Our hands stayed forced together as our sparks were and those same hands began to tremble as our overloads came on.

_Waspinator, I'm - OH - I'm going t-to overloOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!_

The cry of bliss came through our link and Terrorsaur came first. His body jerked to the left, he broke our lip lock, and he violently convulsed, arching up and trembling at my mercy. His mouth flew open in a strangled cry of rapture and I felt hundreds of thoughts - all jumbled, all unorganized, all aimed at how much he loved me - surge through out bond like an onslaught of boiling water being dumped on my hide. Love, affection, adoration, adulation, devotion, worship… They were all for me, and Terrorsaur - the one egotistical mech I was sure would never open up to anyone let alone myself - proved to me that this really was my bondmate, chosen for me by some other worldly force. He showed me at his most venerable, and the ecstatic agony that washed over his beautiful face pushed me over the edge.

_Terrooooooooooooohhhhhhhhh! Terrorsaur, YES!_

My own climatic cry came through the link as well, and I felt lube erupt behind the plate on my unused interface port. I arched and thrashed, and I was wondering what he saw on my face for the briefest moments before I lost myself completely. Arching, thrashing, my wings thrummed so fast I was sure they would snap… And everything I felt for Terrorsaur lashed out at him through my half of the bond.

It felt like an eternity, and I would have never wanted it to end anyways. Alas, our overloads lasted only a few clicks before our frames locked up together and, in an instant, I blacked out.

…If only for a moment. I came to several clicks later, vision blurred and my whole body trembling just barely. My vision wavered for a moment - for a click or two, I was sure I would pass out again - and was suddenly greeted by the sight of Terrorsaur in his post-overload state. Sweat glistened on his flushed face, his mouth was slightly ajar, his face was contorted in post-bliss, and his optics were glowing ever so slightly. Anyone else would have thought he was dead unconscious, but the steadiness of his breath revealed to me he was almost in a trance.

Slowly, as to try to not disturb him, I brought my chest away from his. Our chests separated with a low frizz despite the fact our sparks were barely touching now - they had brought themselves away from one another after our overload faded - and Terrorsaur shuddered from the movement. I shakily covered him up, my hands tracing over my mate's opened chest plate so I could find the catch to seal it shut. I found the latch and it shifted back into place, covering the weakly pulsating essence of lover. His spark, the gorgeous scarlet star it was, vanished from sight when his leathery chest plate completely readjusted itself back into place. Terrorsaur lay perfectly still under me, optics still offline, and I maneuvered my hands to myself as to close my own plate. Just as I found the catch to hide my emerald spark from sight, Terrorsaur brought his optics on somewhat. They held a glazed look to them similar to when he had overcharged on the floating mountain of energon, though now they also held absolute adoration for me.

I shakily eased myself down to position myself beside Terrorsaur against the wall. My mate attempted to reach out to trace the outlines of what I assumed to be my face, but he missed ended up touching the wall lightly. I turned to him fully - he seemed to realize his sight was off - and I addressed my mate quietly. "Is Terrorsaur alright?"

Regardless, Terrorsaur shifted his arm again so he _did_ touch my face. He held his lightly trembling fingers to my green features just before he touched his lips my mandibles. I returned the kiss by pushing myself against the other Transformer as we slipped down to the floor. We both lied on our sides and Terrorsaur threw his right leg over my own leg. In return, I threw a protective arm over my scarlet star's shoulders just as we both broke the kiss off. Our optics dimmed as they prepared their systems for recharge. Before we could slip away into oblivion though, I spoke.

My voice was low and loving. "I love you."

Terrorsaur's was just the same. "I love you too."

We did not sleep long. Perhaps it had been under a half megacycle when I finally stirred. Terrorsaur was half awake - the way his breathing sounded, slow but too steady for him to be offline was an immediate indication - and he had nuzzled up against me with his forehead pressed to mine. His eyes were closed and his end of the bond was quiet, but he felt my thoughts and onlined his scarlet eyes to look at me groggily. _Did I wake you?_

_No,_ I responded back. I pressed my forehead against his harder and the hands that were between us, I realized, were still loosely held together. I tightened my grip on his ebony fingered fist, bent my wrist backwards towards my face, and I pressed my mandibles to the back of his crimson plated hand. A mental check on my power reserves showed I had gone up fifteen percent since our overload - I was at forty percent power - but I figured that the cave floor we had fallen asleep on was not the most suitable place to recharge.

My mate felt my thoughts. _I woke up about ten cycles ago. It's too damn cold in here to sleep. _

Terrorsaur's beast-mode was cold blooded, which I realized meant that the lack of a continuous source of heat in the cool cavern - by my external temperature regulator, a good seventy degrees - steadily made his own body temperature drop. Guilt kicked at me and I sat up to immediately embrace him in a futile attempt to give me some of my body heat. My partner did not mind it physically, though he tried to make me feel better by rejecting it mentally. "I'm fine, really…"

He did not sound too convinced. I held him closer to me and buzzed. "Wazzpinator sorry."

He tried to skim over the subject. "You projectile lubricated. Were you really that turned on by me to do that?"

I stumbled mentally and he laughed feeling it. Over his end of the bond, he told me he found out due to the aftermath odor that floated around us. Cold copper lingered in the air like a perfume and I blushed hard. Lube did not erupt from port unless there was enough electrical stress on the mechanisms down there to make the fluid pump eject its properties. It would evaporate in a megacycle or so, but the odor was still there. I dully noticed that it seemed stronger than it should have been. I realized why and smirked at him through my blush. _You did too, bastard. _

Terrorsaur chuckled when he felt my thought. "Yeah. Guilty as charged."

I sighed dreamily and nuzzled him again before trailing my mandibles to his lips and kissing him. He kissed back but, a moment after I broke away and onlined my optics, I caught sight of something. A passageway, leading deeper into the cave, seemed to have a sort of light radiating from it. I could still see the light from the entrance of the cave but, either way, this was a new path entirely. Wherever the light was coming from, I was curious to see. _Terrorsaur, look._

He turned his head and rolled onto his back to look. He was usually uncomfortable on his back unless he was on his berth - he had a place on the bed carved out where his beast-mode's head would go so he could lie comfortably - but he endured it to look into the darkness. _What is that?_

_Let's go see,_ I intoned. I stood and, misjudging what little strength I had, I staggered. Terrorsaur was up in a flash to attempt catching me but I caught myself before I could end up in an undignified heap. He asked me if I was alright and I responded that I was. My legs felt like rubber from my previous overload and, the way Terrorsaur was standing, it seemed to me that he was as well. Slowly, we both moved towards the path and moved into the darkness to follow the light. I lead the way, feeling the wet walls to keep my balance, and Terrorsaur tailgated me. After a cycle or so, I had to stop to give my sore legs a break. My thighs were on fire from straddling Terrorsaur before.

My mate pushed past me. _I'll go ahead. You get your endurance back._

_One of these days, you ought to top, _I said with a playful huff.

He leaned over and kissed the side of my neck. He kissed upward until he reached my cheek before walking past. He caressed the bond before he left.

After another cycle or so, my legs throbbed weakly enough that I was able to move again. My thighs protested the movement by pulsating painfully, but I ignored them and trudged onward. Terrorsaur's end of the bond suddenly flared in surprised shock. Alarmed and afraid something was wrong, I found myself running in his direction. _Terrorsaur!_

I reached the end of the tunnel and saw him standing high on a rocky incline within the cave chamber. He was looking downward, his entire form rigid. "Waspinator, _look."_

And I did. I ran up beside him, looked down into the cavern we were standing over, and the both of us were gawking straight down at a huge mass of crystals that near completely encrusted the walls in their beauty. Diamonds, quartz, and sapphires glistened brilliant lights of all different hues across the cavern we stepped into. The light that gave the gems their glow came from the small hole in the cavern's ceiling, letting gold brilliance from the setting red sun just outside illuminate the stones like stained glass.

Terrorsaur's mouth was popped open in awe. Mine did as well and we both looked at one another in amazement. His eyes glowed just a gorgeous as the crystal cavern we had stumbled upon, but then I saw something glisten just a beautifully as his optics as well.

"Hey!" I looked past him and buzzed my wings in excitement. I jumped off the ledge and flew over to what I had seen. "Come look at this, Terror-bot!"

"Be careful," he warned out of reflex. Of course, whenever I usually found something shiny and appealing, it habitually meant I was going to get blown to bits at least a click later. There were not any Maximals around though, and what I found was very much worth risking getting scrapped to look at.

Red gemstones - perhaps _thousands_ of them - lined a portion of the wall I had seen. It stretched to the near top of the ceiling and back down again, and I was absolutely mesmerized by the brilliance of their scarlet glow.

Terrorsaur was beside me in a moment, and exhaled breathlessly. "Look at all those emeralds…"

That was when I finally realized that the red stones were not alone. Packed together with the red gems were thousands of green ones, shining and glowing alongside the scarlet diamonds like stars. I honestly found the red ones more appealing though, but I could tell Terrorsaur was completely held by their jade counterparts.

I spoke up after we were quiet for sometime. "What red ones?"

"Rubies," Terrorsaur murmured. "Or at least something close to it. They're a type of mineral on Earth."

I looked at him and saw he was still looking up at the stones lining the walls. His optics were completely fixated, and they shined just as magnificently as the rubies he had pointed out. His eyes were locked onto a cluster of emeralds I noticed. "Same with green ones?"

"Yeah. Emeralds are common on Earth too…" He smiled and looked over at me brightly, his expression genuine and loving. "This place… Primus, this ought to be worth a _fortune_ on Cybertron! At least a quarter billion credits, I'd say!"

What he said, I figured, was true. Because Cybertron was mostly mechanical, only having plants due to imports from Earth, the planet did not have the natural resources to make gemstones and crystals like the ones we stumbled upon. Because of that, most stones on Cybertron were incredibly expensive. I managed to smile back at him and I massaged the end of his link. _It's ours, now. I'd say it's priceless. _

He smiled again and looked back up to admire what we had been lucky enough to find. The stones kept sparkling in the setting light from outside, making the chamber glow at least a hundred different hues of color, and it was slightly darker when I flew upwards towards the group of larger emeralds Terrorsaur had been looking at. My red companion sent a wave of confusion over the link. "Waspy?"

"Which one Terrorsaur want?" I flew up higher and hovered in front of the patch he had been admiring.

Terrorsaur snorted. "I wouldn't even try breaking one of those things off. The density is harder than normal rocks on this planet. You'd probably break your whole _hand_ trying to snap one of those things off the wall."

I shrugged. "Which one?"

He sighed. "Why do I even _bother?_ It doesn't matter."

I razzed and looked around before spotting one of the bigger ones. The tip of one of the jagged pieces looked perfect and I gripped it before giving it a hard tug. As Terrorsaur predicted, it did not even budge. Mentally frowning, I narrowed my eyes and tried again. It still did not move. Terrorsaur threw his arms into the air before he let them fall so he could cross them over his chest. A smirk crossed his features while he watched me stubbornly try to pry the emerald out of place.

I wasn't going to give up. Finally, I braced my arm against the emerald and gave it a sharp tug downward.

An aspect other than my intelligence that people seemed to misjudge was my strength. A week after we were bonded, there had been an occasion where Megatron devised a scheme to remove the Maximals' rectifier coil from the _Axalon_ hull. Without it, The Maximals would no longer be shielded from the energon radiation. They would be forced to stay in beast-mode to avoid energon surges and Megatron's research on Maximal programming, curiously enough, revealed that they would slowly succumb to their beast-modes' tendencies. Loosing their sentience, it would be easy to kill them and end the Beast Wars for good.

As a part of the plan, Megatron gave Terrorsaur and me the task of retrieving the coil while he, Tarantulus, and Scorponok distracted. Blackarachnia and Inferno remained back at the base to protect the _Darkside_. We attacked at midnight.

When the Maximals had their hands completely full with Scorponok, Tarantulus, and Megs, our tyrant of a leader took out the backup automated gun. This was our signal to move in and my mate and I swooped downward. I did a front flip forward, shifting to my robot-mode as Terrorsaur followed behind me. _Let's move!_

I had spoken to him through the link but, other than that, we were completely silent. I landed on the _Axalon_ hull first and Terrorsaur came down beside me. Drawing up my gun, I shot the bulk in the _Axalon's_ roof where Megatron said the rectifier coil would be. The metal came loose but otherwise remained.

Though we were silent physically, our bond was far from inactive. Terrorsaur spoke through the connection. _Dammit! How the frell are we supposed to pry it loose!_

I moved without thinking. Although the metal was thick, the damage made to it was great enough that I could hook my fingers under the burning metal. I gave it a hard tug to the left and, to Terrorsaur's surprise behind me, the metal shrieked as it came loose. I gave it another hard tug and tore it free from the ship's hull. Any other Transformer, Maximal _or_ Predacon, would have had immense difficulty removing the strong sheet of metal. The rectifier coil's energy motor whirred and buzzed around the device we needed, sparking electricity with loud hums. I reached down and pried the obviously heavy metallic thing loose from its casing. I stood and turned back to Terrorsaur.

Terrorsaur would have whistled out loud if he had the time to. _Geez, how did you…?_

Ten or so feet behind us, the _Axalon's_ roof hatch opened and Optimus flew up. My mate and I whipped around in place to face him but, regardless, I did not have enough time to avoid the blast Optimus shot at me. Handicapped by the rectifier coil in my hands, I was hit square in the chest and thrown off the edge of the ship. Terrorsaur cried out for me over the link and he countered Optimus instantly, turning and shooting the Maximal leader in the left shoulder. Optimus fell back with a cry and landed on the ship's roof with a prominent thud.

Terrorsaur turned back to make sure I was fine. _Love!_

I flew upwards, from over the side of the ship. _I have the rectifier! Let's get out of here!_

Terrorsaur followed my example with a mental sigh of relief. He took off into the air after me with a loud screech. Below out of the corner of my vision, I saw Megatron finally begin to fall back. I also saw Optimus had taken off after us. I cursed outloud with a buzz and Terrorsaur noticed Primal as well. _Fraggit. If we catches up with us, we're toast! Hang onto that coil!_

"Airrazor, _maximize!"_

It was my turn to curse when I heard the femme Maximal call out her transformation code._ Slaggit!_

Terrorsaur looked ahead again, taking his sights off Optimus, and we both caught sight of Airrazor diving down at us. She fired twice and we had to move quickly to avoid getting hit. Terrorsaur fired his own gun back at her and we kept on course. Behind us, Optimus fired twice, once more for good measure, and then he seemed to stop for a moment. I vainly hoped he had given up the chase - I felt Terrorsaur readily agree with me over our bond - but then heavy gunfire resonated behind us. Optimus was using his shoulder cannons to try taking us down. The turrets fired double blasts once and the energy bullets sped ahead of us by several feet. It exploded directly underneath me and I barely managed to keep my grip on the coil. Optimus fired again and the plasma blasts sped over Terrorsaur's head before exploding as well. My mate's resolve faltered for a brief moment but, miraculously, he managed to keep his cool.

Airrazor kept coming straight at us and Terrorsaur kept trying to fire at her. She dodged like the graceful flier she was and kept coming at me and my mate.

Terrorsaur hissed over the link. _I. HATE. HER._

I heard a missile squealing through the air behind us. _Incoming!_

Thankfully for us, it never hit. Instead, we heard Optimus scream in pain and he stopped shooting at us. I spared a glance over my shoulder and saw Megatron closing his tyrannosaur head before continuing to retreat. He had shot the Maximal down and I saw a long cloud of smoke marking Optimus' falling path.

Terrorsaur saw the image through the link and he mentally sighed again. _One down._

Airrazor broke his thoughts. She froze in midair, looking down at the rate her commanding officer was falling, and she shrieked in fear for him. "Optimus!"

Airrazor dove after him and Terrorsaur took immediate aim. He watched her descent, his mind racing in an attempt to get the perfect shot, and he fired his gun three times.

He was dead accurate two of the three times. The first shot caught her on the back of her left shoulder, dazing her and making her falter about in the air. The click shot whizzed by her, not even coming immediately close - it had to have missed by ten or so feet - but then the third shot hit three or so feet from her face. Having lost all her equilibrium and stunned, she tumbled towards the ground.

Terrorsaur snarled. _Zero to go. That was for when you shot my mate's wings off, glitch._

I was touched by his protectiveness over me and I caressed the ends of the bond as a silent thanks. He responded back by sending a pulse of adoration through the connection. Regardless, the both of us cackled as she fell before we accelerated through the air. Flying through the night, even though we both knew Airrazor had a fifty-fifty chance of surviving, we were ecstatic. We saw her living several days later and, although we were disappointed, it made us more determined to eventually see her dead.

…Back at the present, I was surprised that Terrorsaur had forgotten my demonstration of strength when we stole the coil. With a great, glass like shatter, the end of the emerald came loose from its foundation. I felt surprise radiate from Terrorsaur's half of the bond to me and I laughed with a hearty buzz. I turned to him and waved the gemstone in the colorful air. "What was Terror-bot saying about Wazzpinator hurting himself, hmm?"

He finally remembered the incident on the _Axalon_ hull - I saw the entire memory playback through his head - and he chuckled evenly. "Of course. Silly me. Poor Scorponok could barley hold it when Megs tossed it at him."

I flew down to him and landed before my mate. I folded my wings behind me, glanced up at him, and I looked down in my hand. The emerald was a bright green that was only four or so shades lighter than my own armor. I was surprised Terrorsaur found the color appealing - he laughed at me over the bond when I thought this - but it did not matter. All that did matter was that he liked it and that I had gotten it for him. Looking back towards my bonded, I held the stone towards him and let my wings twitch behind me. "For Terror-bot."

He hesitated for a moment, lifting his hand up and holding it suspended in the air, before he extended it and held it over the hand I offered. He held it over my hand a click before he closed his fingers around the stone with a gentle grip. He pulled his hand away and looked at the emerald in his hands with observant eyes. It took me a moment to see they had a misted over gleam to them.

I was immediately alarmed. "Terrorsaur?"

His throat bobbed slightly and he continued to gaze down at the stone. He was not upset - the link gave that much away - and he looked back up at me His fingers curled protectively over the stone. "You… You would've risked your life to get this, wouldn't you?"

I did not even need to _think_ about it. The answer I came up with in my mind did not surprise me either but, yes, I figured I would have. Thinking about it further only lead me to realize just how natural it felt for me to come up with such a conclusion.

He looked up at me and braced his jaw. "What about you? Which one?"

I razzed and blinked. I hadn't even thought about getting one for myself. Either way though, I knew what gemstone I honestly wanted the most. "Maybe ruby?"

He smiled at me and leaned forward, pecking me on the cheek. He walked past me and leapt high into the air, activating his antigravs and flying up to a patch of bright rubies. I watched his rigid form scan the patch in front of him before I saw his sights lock on a particularly pretty looking stone that made my breath intakes hitch. The light from the hole in the ceiling caught on its surface and made it sparkle like a star. Terrorsaur felt my awe and he made up his mind instantly. He reached out for it, hooked his fingers against its surface, and he gave it a slight tug.

Unfortunately for him, he did not have the strength I did. It did not even groan under the force he administered on it and I felt his aggravation flutter towards me through the bond. I gave a buzzing laugh and I grinned. "Izz okay if Terrorsaur can't get it. We'zz could always come back another time."

But if there was one thing I learned about my mate, it was that he wasn't one to easily give something up and call it quits. Determined to pry the stone loose by my comment, he ignored me and gave it another slight tug. I heard a groan and thought it came from the stone, but feeling Terrorsaur cringe in pain through the link made me realize it had been his hand. It made a low grinding noise underneath the armor and he winced.

My wings went erect in worry and I probed him through the bond. _Love?_

"I can get it," he hissed low. With a small huff, he suddenly jerked downwards as hard as he could.

There was an earsplitting crack that was too loud to be from the ruby breaking off the wall alone. The stone came off the wall and Terrorsaur lost his equilibrium, falling backwards and plummeting. Fear for my mate and adrenaline lanced up my body but, even when I moved, I was too late to break his fall. He landed in a shallow pool of water hard, smashing his back and the underside of his head against the cavern floor. He did not cry out, but his face sharply contorted with pain and he grit his teeth hard enough to make his dentals groan from strain.

He was hurt. That was all that mattered to me.

"_Terrorsaur!"_ I spoke both outloud and through the bond as I ran over to where he had fallen. Water splashed beneath my feet and rippled when I knelt in the water beside him. I wasn't trained in the field of medicine, but my immediate concern was that he had broken his back from the fall.

His teeth were still grit, but he hissed through them anyways. "We don't have to go changing Tanna-16's name to 'Brokeback Mountain' just yet. I… I think I'm fine."

Relief washed over me hearing him speak, but I was still worried. My spark hammered inside my chest. "Can Terror-bot move his legs?"

To make his point, he tried to kick me. The position he was in - sprawled on his back with me hovering over him to his right - made the attempted assault impossible. His leg kicked out uselessly and splashed in the puddle again, but I heard something in his back groan and he hissed with pain. Alarmed again, I asked him if he was alright. He insisted he was fine and, after a few cycles, he managed to sit up. I had to help him accomplish this task so he wouldn't fall back again, but he continually insisted he was okay.

After sometime, I caressed the corners of his half of the bond. "Brokeback Mountain? Where'd you come up with that?"

He shrugged and leaned his head against my chest. "I just came up with it off the top of my head. Why? Are you seriously considering it?"

I shook my head and nuzzled him. _Naw. I just thought it had a sort of charm to it. I think it's sort of pretty._

Speaking of charms and things that were pretty, Terrorsaur's mind jarred when he realized he still had the ruby firmly clasped in his hand. He pulled away and opened his palm, but I could not tell it was the ruby at all at first glance. It was a dark and almost black without the light casting off it.

There was a deep crack running through it as well.

His spark sank and I felt it pulsate painfully through our bond. "I… I must've smashed it against the ground when I fell. Waspinator, I'm so _sorr-"_

I did not give him the time to finish. Instead, I reached forward and touched the stone tentatively with my hand. Terrorsaur fell silent, watching as I felt the lighter hued crack running though the entire stone. I did not care that it was fractured. It was still the brilliant scarlet ruby that I had set eyes on before. I picked it up and, silently, I turned slightly and held it towards the light filtering in though the ceiling. The golden rays of luminescence caught on the stone and it cast a gorgeous red light over the both of us. The stone lit up like a star under the setting sunlight and I looked at Terrorsaur.

He was in awe, staring up at it and letting his eyes get caught in the colored light. His scarlet eyes were enhanced and my spark melted from the sight. He looked over at me, meeting my gaze, and then he silently held up his emerald towards the ruby as well. The red light caught on the green stone and, suddenly, the light turned from red to gold with the added filter. We turned away from each other, looking towards that light - one, I realized, that was the same hue as the light when our sparks finally bonded - and we continued to stare at it until our arms were tired from holding the stones up. When we finally lowered our hands, he kissed me and I kissed him right back. Afterward, we flew through the opening in the roof and we watched the sunset from there instead of our normal ledge.

Once the sun was down, we headed back towards the base. When Terrorsaur asked me if I still wanted a new stone, I told him no. Regardless of the crack, I adored mine.

We went to Terrorsaur's room for the night when we returned to the _Darkside_. For the both of us, we were walking on air. In his room, I held him in my arms and I fell asleep in my embrace. From across the room, sitting on the desk, I watched the emerald and ruby sit shimmering in the moonlight before drifting off into recharge.

Then the ghost happened. In all honesty, I prefer to not ever remember the spirit by his actual name, but I suppose I could tell you that others called him Starscream.

There was a massive energon storm that surged in from the south due to a change in the wind - Tarantulus had said that the storm should have avoided us altogether, but the direction of the gale changed and drove the storm headlong at us - and Terrorsaur had been roaming the halls to check on and repair any damaged circuits in the ship's walls. As fate had it, I wasn't with him. Instead, Megatron had called upon my otherwise useless abilities to work on a computer program of his. The radar he wanted me to work kept tabs on where the lightning from the storm was striking down. It would be useful tracking the lightning movements for the sole purpose that they only struck where there were energon deposits. Most of them were still unmapped.

The program had been working fine until lightning struck the base. It shocked me through the computer and sent me flying backwards onto the main deck. Megatron snarled in frustration at my idiocy and he ordered me to get back to work… Just as Scorponok radioed him that there was an electrical fire on the lower deck. A mental image of Inferno popped to mind, but Scorponok had already clarified it was electrical. It was probably due to the massive shock that went through the ship moments earlier. He ordered me to fix the program and then assist him on the lower deck as he left to help his second. I collected myself to try getting the computer back online but, as fate had it, the program wasn't responding. The screen stayed dark and I razzed in aggravation.

Of course, I had no idea what was going to happen to me if I tried to get the computer running again. As it was, I wasn't expecting it in the slightest.

_I think I know why it's not working. I'm on my way down there now, Waspy_, Terrorsaur said thorough our link with a light chuckle of amusement in his voice. I felt him set aside the equipment he was using to rewire some cables that had blown a fuse and I could literally feel the grin that spread across his face as he walked down to the control room. _Try not to get too frustrated, alright? It's not your fault the storm is messing up everything around here._

_Or that everything is cheap,_ I said back in an aggravated tone. I smacked the monitor screen roughly with the palm of my hand, willing it to somehow respond to my violent gesture, but the thing only continued to stare back at me with a dead screen. I razzed angrily and was more than tempted to give the console a good kick. _"Oh,_ what is this! Program will not respond! Wazzpinator doezz not _understand!" _I was frustrated and Terrorsaur snickered at me through our link, caressing the bond lovingly as if to help ease my tension.

If my bad luck wasn't bad enough, it got worse two clicks later. Starscream happened.

The console brightened up tremendously and took on an eerie, ghostly glow. The light caught on my face and I jumped backward from the console several centimeters. The glow wasn't' from electricity surging through the screen - that much I could tell - and Terrorsaur felt my surprise immediately. _Waspy? Waspinator, what's wrong?_

I would've responded had a pair of red and malicious red optics not began glaring back at me.

"_I'll bet Waspinator seldom does! But try not to let it depress you, Bug Face!"_

I would have called for help, but I was too horrorstruck to do anything. The red optics blaring out through the ghostly brightened console narrowed and glowed with vicious intent.

Terrorsaur panicked on his end of the bond feeling my fear_. Waspinator! Love, what's wrong! What's going on!_

It lunged.

There was a blinding white light - followed by a brilliant flash of red as if I were thrown into a crimson sun - and my frame locked up against my will. I found myself staggering backwards out of reflex and then I felt as though I wasn't in control of my own body. I tried to reach my hands up to clutch at my head - it suddenly felt like someone had taken an anvil to it and was beating it against the inside of my skull - but my arms felt as though they were hundreds of pounds heavier than they were supposed to. It was around then I finally realized Terrorsaur was screaming at me through the bond, terrified, but I could barely hear him to my own horror. I lost feeling, my mind was harshly jarred in to nothingness, and I blacked out hearing someone laughing cruelly.

I was thrown into a dark black room with no sense of direction. The gravity was crushing and I felt like I was unable to breathe. I briefly wondered if I lost consciousness and I desperately tried to wake myself up. When I tried to, the suffocating feeling I was having to endure tripled and I doubled over gasping for breath. The weight weighing me down became so great that I was forced down onto my metaphorical chest. I felt like I was tossed carelessly into a nightmare and the worst part was that I couldn't feel my lover through the bondlink we shared.

There was a hiss that resonated above me. "_Stop struggling, bug. You'll only kill yourself fighting me. My essence is stronger than yours and you'll only strain your spark to the point of extinguishing. We wouldn't want to upset Terrorsaur now, would we?"_

I gasped and sputtered, terrified. "How do you know about…? Who is this! What do you want!"

"_That is not important,"_ the voice hissed. _"What is important is that you don't try fighting me. The less you struggle, the more inclined I might be to grant you your body back once I'm through with using it."_

The voice ceased after that. The darkness lingered and I did not dream. That was something that greatly bothered me. Another thing that worried me was that the darkness seemed to be closing in. Eventually, after being sprawled out on what appeared to be ground for sometime, something closed around my body and forced me into a fetal position. Breathing became tedious and, I noticed with a hitch of horror, the temperature was dropping. I could eventually see my breath and I trembled like I was back in the neutral northern territories. After what felt like an eternity, the voice spoke again.

_"Why did Terrorsaur mate you?"_

I tried to speak, but I had broken out into a cold sweat. I trembled somewhat and I tried to find my voice. "He… he loves me…"

_"But _why?_"_

There was exasperation to the disembodied voice that frightened me somewhat. The freezing air made me shudder and I tried rolling onto my back. I found it strange that I could feel hot sweat clinging to my body even though I wasn't hot. The crushing gravity made it hard move and trying to intake oxygen became laborious. My voice shook like a fallen leaf rattled by an oncoming winter gale when I spoke. "What's happening to me?"

There wasn't an answer for a few cycles before the voice interrupted the deafening silence once more. _"My superior spark seems to be eating away at yours. You're dying."_

The voice left me alone again. I did not think it was possible but it managed to get even colder. I shook hard enough to make it look like I was seizing and the inky shadows crushed down on me further. Eventually, I almost had no strength left to keep my breath up. I had noticed a dim light in the corner of my vision earlier but, steadily, it got brighter and almost beckoned me. Even though I couldn't move towards it, it seemed to move towards me. I ignored it for the most part but, when it brightened in intensity, I shook it off valiantly.

"I'm not going to die here," I hissed at it tiredly. "Go away." The light seemed to falter but, after awhile, it tried coming back towards me again. I turned my head away from its tempting light and hissed lowly at it. "I said I'm not going to die here, so go the frell _away._"

"_Why won't you _die?_"_ It was the voice speaking again, and its tone trembled somewhat. The way it's usually powerful sounding voice faltered caught me off guard somewhat, but then it seemed to collect itself. _"There's no way you should still be living. How are you keeping your spark from extinguishing?"_

My answer was automatic and, to my own mild surprise, I did not need to _think_ about my response. "It's not just my spark. It's Terrorsaur's, too."

Then there was a sudden amount of agony. I could not find the time to scream in pain but the suffocating veil of shadows lifted immediately. The temperature rose again and the gravity stopped crushing my hide, but the light still remained. It tried to beckon me closer to its brightness but I did not even feel mildly inclined to go towards it. The light wasn't scarlet like my star. Eventually, it seemed to give up and everything went completely dark once more. After sometime beyond my comprehension, I woke up.

I let my optics come online feeling the vibrations of the CR tank lift bringing me out of its pool. My body ached like I had been beaten ten times over and I was winced upon being assaulted by the brilliant lights overhead. I could not move, I tried to, but I hurt far too much to give a decent attempt. I groaned and blinked, trying to properly see.

Once my vision partly returned - putting an emphasis on _partly_ - I saw Blackarachnia and Tarantulus on a hover pad across the room while Megatron loomed over me. His face was neutral, optics weary even, and I could not understand why in the slightest. To make up for it, the first thing to cross my mind was Terrorsaur. I blearily looked up at the tyrant over me and asked him where he was.

Megatron's face relaxed slightly. It was then I realized with horror that I could not feel my mate over the link. I panicked for a moment, wondering what had happened to him, before I felt my spark still beating in sync with him… Wherever he was, at least.

_Th-thump… Th-thump… Th-thump…_

It took some worry off my shoulders, but I was still worried.

Without as much as telling me what the frag had happened since I blacked out, Scorponok and Blackarachnia helped to carry my parts into an examination room that branched off from the main, unused medical wing. As soon as my dismantled pieces were set on the table, Tarantulus proceeded to put my sorry hide back together. I tried to ask questions regarding what happened and where Terrorsaur was, but I went ignored for the most part. They all seemed nervous being in my presence for some reason and that was something that disturbed me greatly. Tarantulus explained in an offhand manner sometime later that I would need another run in the CR tank to fully recover, but I did not pay attention to him. Since everyone else seemed to be ignoring me for some reason, I tried to focus on finding my bondmate over our closed bondlink. I dimmed my optics and blocked all other distractions out, anxious to hear my mate over our connection.

My thoughts were broken a moment later. Just as Tarantulus finished the repairs, the spider accidentally knocked into the table and, ironically, my head promptly fell off my shoulders. I yelped in surprise and groaned when I hit the floor with a sharp clang. Megatron snorted out of my range of sight, a sound that seemed to be more out of relief than aggravation, and he picked up my head in his tyrannosaur jaws.

I groaned. "Ooooooh… Wazzpinator hazz a headache in his whole body…"

He managed to promptly shove my head back into place and I yelped in discomfort. Blackarachnia took this to pip up, saying she had to play along with someone named Starscream in order to find out his true intentions. Megatron kept pushing my head down onto my neck socket to make sure it wouldn't come off again and he commented on how smooth her performance was… Aside it inspired little confidence.

It was a new piece of information that I was thankful for. I turned my head to look at Megatron. "Who Starzzcream? What happen to Wazzpinator?"

A click later, I heard someone skid to a halt in front of the doorway.

Everyone looked up towards the door instantly - I did as well, sitting up on my forearms - and my spark sank seeing how _torn_ Terrorsaur looked standing there in the entryway. His facial expression was that of utter despondency before his agonized scarlet stars met my blue eyes. For a moment, I was utterly horrified to see a flash of fear that brightened in my lover's optics. The hopelessness reflected in the deep pools of scarlet suddenly turned to a sad frustration. He looked upset and it ripped at every seam of my spark. My mind reeled in an attempt to explain what the frag had happened in my unconsciousness.

Whatever I had missed out on during my blackout, it wasn't good.

Tarantulus fixed the table from its slightly horizontal angle to its vertical and I strained to sit up. Terrorsaur immediately walked into the room towards the table quickly and Inferno substituted my lover's place in the doorway. He stated the obvious that he had returned with Terrorsaur and I realized he had run of somewhere without staying by my side. Whenever I was scrapped or dismantled, he was always beside the CR tank waiting for me to get out. The fact he wasn't there this time boggled my mind. I looked up at Terrorsaur with a questioning look, deeply concerned, but Terrorsaur was visibly apprehensive about approaching me. My scarlet star stood a foot away from the table and did not come any closer.

That was when the mute horror seeped in. He was _afraid_ _of me._

I looked over to the others and asked if I could have a moment alone with Terrorsaur. It was odd at most, because nearly everyone was out of the room in less than a click. Megatron lingered behind for a moment, seeming to spare a glance in my mate's direction with a questionable expression, and I was sure the tyrant could tell my scarlet star was on the verge of tears. Terrorsaur avoided looking at both Megatron and me and his optics gazed downcast towards his feet as though in shame. Megatron shook his head slightly before he left without as much as another word, his expression thoughtful but still uncharacteristic for him. There was nothing he needed to say apparently, but the silence from our leader bothered me slightly.

Just as Megatron walked out of the room and turned to walk down the hall, Terrorsaur suddenly crossed the distance between us and scrambled onto the examination berth to wrap his arms around my neck instantly. The movement was fast enough that I was barely able to track it and Terrorsaur buried his head against my shoulder like the world would end if he let go. I struggled to sit up fully and, unable to find anything to say, I wrapped my own arms around my lover's frame.

Terrorsaur trembled and spoke with a shaking voice. "I thought you were _dead."_

I tightened my grip on him, speaking as evenly as my voice could. "Wazzpinator fine. Terrorsaur could have seen that if bondlink was open." To make my point, I gently nudged my end of the link against the end of Terrorsaur's that my mate still blocked off.

Terrorsaur tore himself away from me immediately.

I was instantly afraid I had hurt him and I pulled back as well, but the sheer amount of mental agony that etched onto my bonded's face threw me off guard. His jaw was set tightly and his optics watched me with wary uneasiness. The expression and behavior from my scarlet star greatly disturbed me and it left me wondering what the Pitt had happened to make Terrorsaur act the way he was. I lifted my hand to reach out to him but he flinched away from the otherwise non-threatening gesture.

He was looking at me like I hurt him.

"Terrorsaur, what's _wrong?"_ My voice shook slightly and I prodded the end of his blocked link gently. Terrorsaur flinched again and continued to keep his end of the bond blocked off to me. Just thinking about not being able to sense my star's thoughts made my spark pulsate painfully, giving me the feeling of what felt like a bond withdrawal. My essence trembled in my chest from the rejected and empty feelings brewing there. Desperately, I tried to keep myself from shaking. "Terrorsaur, pleazze…"

Terrorsaur's face contorted slightly. "You don't remember anything, do you?"

Rejection, emptiness, and now frustration scarred my spark like an energy whip. I razzed in a slightly aggravated tone but I regretted making the sound when I saw Terrorsaur flinch away from me further. I spoke up to cover up the goaded sound. "Remember _what?"_

I was assaulted by the memory or red eyes from the computer monitor. Then I remembered the voice.

Terrorsaur's voice was quiet. "You… You were possessed. A disembodied spark came out of the computer after being zapped into the mainframe by the storm and he possessed you."

I blinked hard at the information. "Wazzpinator was… Possessed?"

"His name was Starscream," Terrorsaur replied in a quieter tone. The way he said the name was pained and it dawned on me that Starscream was a Decepticon from the Great War over three hundred stellar cycles prior. From what little I knew of Decepticon history - because of my lack of education and the fact the Maximal Elders classified most of the information on the major contributing Decepticons to the war - Starscream was a backstabbing air commander that was a treacherous as he was dangerous.

It also came to me that, if he was in my body, he would have had access to my own memories and, ultimately, my bond with my mate. I remembered that, when his voice had warned me to not fight him, Starscream briefly mentioned Terrorsaur.

My mate must have seen the rising look of horror on my face. His jaw seemed to tense even more and he looked away from my face to avoid my gaze. "He found out everything about us."

"Were we expozzed?" My tone was frightened, I admit it, but all for a good reason. If Megatron ever found that Terrorsaur and I were bonded, the results would be disastrous for us. Terrorsaur would've been punished severely because of his more treacherous tendencies, possibly even terminated to set an example for the rest of the crew, and I'd be forced to live without him. Exposing us would work in the air commander's favor due to the fact it would mean less competition for leadership over the Predacons.

He shook his head. "No. He kept the information to himself and he… He…" Terrorsaur's expression contorted hard and, instantly, I knew what he was trying to say. I felt my spark pulsate hard in my chest.

"_He raped you,"_ I said with horror. My voice trembled at the mental image of a complete stranger using my body to violate my mate.

Terrorsaur shuddered when I said what I had, but he shook his head. "N-no, but he almost did," he said softly. Remembering his memory of being raped by his art teacher when we bonded flashed through my head and I knew how horrid the thought was to him. I felt filthy thinking that someone almost used my body to do that to him.

Terrorsaur turned away from me and threw his legs over the side of the table. I was afraid he was going to leave me alone like he had the first time we interfaced, but he did not. Instead, he saw there and avoided all eye contact with me. "I was afraid of him, but he still had your body. I thought that maybe he burnt out your spark but… I could not be sure. I was too afraid to turn on the link to try looking for you. If I did, I risked him tormenting me through it. We took the Maximal base over using one of Starscream's battle plans but, after we captured the base, Megatron left Starscream in control of it. I had to go with Megatron, he made me, but then Starscream tried to betray us. He had the Maximals attack the base when they surrendered to him, but Optimus showed up and he cornered Starscream. Then Blackarachnia…"

His voice had cracked and I heard him suddenly stifle a low sob.

"…She shot an energon deposit behind Starscream's head and she blew up the whole plateau he was on. I thought you died."

My face was neutral, believing what I was hearing but horrified that it had happened to me, and I tried to imagine what life would be like for Terrorsaur if I ended up being dead. It was such a horrendous thought that I did not divulge into it too far. Instead, I spoke up in what I hoped to be a comforting tone. "…Wazzpinator is fine now. Zzee?" I looked down at myself for a quick click before looking back up at my tormented lover. "Nothing change that. Wazzpinator alwayzz be Wazzpinator."

"But…" Terrorsaur let his optics drift downwards and I noticed he had taken a particular fascination in the dark grey floor. His air reminded me of a term humans used. A kicked puppy.

I stared at Terrorsaur, wondering if he would finish. The way he stared downward at the floor though, I knew he wasn't going to. I gazed at my lover with my blue optics fixed on his hunched form before I reached out. Gingerly, I took his chin firmly in my hand and hoped that he wouldn't flinch away like he had several times before. To my relief, he did not move any further away from me than he already was. Carefully, I made my scarlet star look back up at me. He looked up at me with misty pools of scarlet and my dull baby blue optics locked with his fiery bright ones. Our stare was just as intense as the time we first met. Terrorsaur ruffled his nonexistent eyebrows as the crease on his forehead became more visible, indicating he was upset.

"I… I thought you were gone when I heard the explosion… When Starscream took over you…" he dimmed his optics and forcibly looked down, as if he was ashamed to even look back up at the other Predacon. "It was like you were gone for good. I thought Starscream was going to stay inside you and that you'd never get back. Waspinator… Starscream knew I wanted you back! He _saw_ it! When he managed to get a cycle alone with me when Megatron wasn't looking, he teased... Dammit, he _taunted_ me about it! He tempted me to let him drop me unconscious into _overload!_ And he knew I could not do anything about it to stop him because he _was YOU!_"

His last word was a cracked sob. His optics squeezed shut, he gnashed his dentals, and he _cried_. It was silent - aside from his erratic breathing, he never made a noise - and there was not anything I could do. I tried to keep my mental anguish secretive so I could not upset my bonded further by keeping my face neutral. It was difficult, but I managed to pull it off. Terrorsaur kept silently bawling, and not ten clicks after he started was when I finally moved again.

My hand found itself on my mate's shoulder in what I hoped to be a comforting gesture. "Waspinator is _Waspinator_. _Not_ Starscream. Terrorsaur does not need to worry about Starscream anymore because he's gone…" my hand found itself on Terrorsaur's shoulder. "…And Wazzpinator isn't going anywhere."

Terrorsaur whipped around, making me loose his my on my mate's shoulder, and tear stains scared his cheeks like whip lashes. The moisture dripped from his chin and landed in his lap. His scarlet eyes were hard and soft at the same time, weakly enraged and broken, and they brightened considerably with what he said next.

"_But he took you from ME!"_Terrorsaur's shriek was loud, but I tried to not let it phase me in the slightest. On the outside, I was sure I was keeping my cool. On the inside, however, I felt like someone had taken my spark and smashed it into thousands of pieces when I looked at how despaired Terrorsaur was. I was sure that maybe someone may have heard his scream, but I found I honestly did not care. As long as Terrorsaur would be alright after this, I found that I did not give a damn as to what the others thought. My mate suddenly whipped back around and rubbed at his face angrily, growling in frustration. "And I can't keep my slaggin', fraggin' emotions about it under control!"

There was another silence between us as Terrorsaur rubbed at his optics with the heels and backs of his hands in addition to occasionally his forearm fervently, frustration, anger, and even anxiety radiating off the Predacon. Still, I merely sat there and waited patiently for the other mech to calm down. After what seemed like forever - three or two cycles in reality at most - then I spoke up again in a calm and comforting tone. "Terrorsaur?"

The red mech looked up abruptly, optics narrowed not in anger, but more than likely they were swollen that way in reacting to his intense rubbing at them. Terrorsaur's face was a mix of psychological anguish and an obvious portrayal of some form of mental conflict. I had seen enough.

I leaned forward slightly more - I winced at the still present pain in my newly repaired body, though I hoped Terrorsaur hadn't seen it - and I cupped Terrorsaur's face in my. My sharp tipped digits traced over my lover's pale jaw line comfortingly and Terrorsaur shuddered. My scarlet star leaned his head into my hand and, very carefully, he tentatively reached out to stroke my right antenna.

Our bondlink creaked open - Terrorsaur had obviously found it in himself to trust me again - and he hesitated for only a moment longer before ripping the link open the rest of the way. He latched onto my end of the bond and trembled all over from realizing I wasn't going to hut him like Starscream did. _I won't let you fall again. Never again, _he said to me softly.

With that said and done, I took his shoulder with my other hand and leaned forward to catch my mate's lips with my non-existent own. Another choked sob ripped itself from Terrorsaur's vocal cords and he offlined his optics, his own free hand reaching up to stroke at the contours of my chest. Relief, anguish, and love rippled across our bond from him and I had no willpower left but to respond back with the same emotions. My spark relished the feelings of having the bond opened again and I basked lovingly in the heat that radiated from his side of the connection.

Without even realizing it, two words massaged our bondlink from me to him. _Take me._

We stopped.

Terrorsaur broke away slightly, and then I followed suit. He looked into my optics deeply. His optics were still swollen, but the expression there was as clear to me as daylight. Our optics locked like vices like on the day we met - and on the days where our bodies made us look into the other's eyes without warning - and it dawned on me that maybe our bodies had been trying to tell us that we were destined to end up bonding.

Terrorsaur felt my thoughts and cracked an infinitesimal smile at me - a barely noticeable gesture - and he spoke through the link, _I wouldn't doubt it. _

I smiled back as much as I could despite my face's inability to do so. A mere click later, he leaned forward again and kissed me once more. The hand I had on Terrorsaur's shoulder roamed down his back to rub at it in calming circles while I kept holing his face with my other. Terrorsaur's own hand continued to trace my chest plate, drawing imaginary lines over my front while his other hand came to rest on my shoulder.

Primus, I wanted him so bad all at once. The urge was near feral and I nearly lost all my self control. The hand I had cupping my mate's perfect face trailed down his jaw in a ragged, desperate movement before trailing down his neck and chest. Terrorsaur broke away slightly, possibly to ask me what I was doing, but I kissed my bonded again to silence him.

_Waspinator…_

My hand brushed past his abs and covered his crotch completely, rubbing urgently. Terrorsaur broke our kiss to gasp.

"Waspinator, _wait…"_

But I found I could not oblige. He made a low, breathless whine that sounded like muted pleasure, and I put more pressure in what I was doing. Before I knew it though, Terrorsaur had snatched his hand out and grasped my wrist firmly to stop my motions. He squeezed it firmly before bringing of back up to his face and letting my palm rest against his face. His scarlet optics pierced mine and I found myself lost in them when he made the motion to tilt his head kiss my palm tenderly.

It was driving me absolutely insane. My mate, the love of my life, almost lost me forever because I was stupid enough to be standing by the console when Starscream possessed me. I owed Terrorsaur dearly for not leaving me forever - and for not self terminating thinking I was dead - and he wouldn't let me pay him back. I whimpered and nuzzled his face.

_Let's… Let's go. Please, I need you right now so bad…_

Terrorsaur made a low noise, something along the lines of a sigh, and the hand caressing my chest rested briefly over my spark chamber. He probed his glossa along my jaw and I readily let him in without a hesitation. He explored the inside of my mouth, and I found it absolutely brain wracking that he was doing this to me and not me to him. I mewled in mild confusion and rising, primal desire that made my insides burn and my optics water.

…_My room is closest, _Terrorsaur said through the link. Thoughts tumbled in his head as well, most of which were ironically aimed at wanting to pay me back for not leaving him when my body was confiscated against my own will. _Get up._

I kissed him deeply for a brief moment before we broke away from one another. He gracefully got off the berth but, when I moved to get off the examination table to stand, my legs failed. The electrical currents that flowed through them hadn't been at full capacity because of the immense amount of stress my body underwent, so my knees buckled and I collapsed to the floor with a loud crash. I hadn't even cried out but I hit my chest hard enough to have the breath knocked out of me.

"Waspinator!" My mate immediately knelt beside me and turned me onto my back. I wheezed, breathless, and Terrorsaur's face swam in and out of view from the dizzy spell that abruptly overcame me when I fell. "Love, what-?"

_I can't walk,_ I moaned mentally, looking up at him and razzing miserably. Looking up at him, his pale face was shadowed from the lights above making my sight of him dark, but his crimson eyes flashed like brilliant scarlet stars.

In a swift movement, he suddenly scooped an arm underneath my knees while his other supported my shoulders. He huffed, gritted his teeth, and lifted me up into his arms with some difficulty. He stood to his full height after managing to hoist me up, and he held me bridal style when my arms instinctively reached up to wrap around his neck. It dawned on me then that the last time he had held me in a similar position, I had been in beast-mode. I was slightly easier to hold in that form apparently, noting I could see that he was having slight difficulty with me now in stark comparison to the eve of our bonding.

Terrorsaur heard my thoughts and bent his head down to nuzzle my forehead. _You were hurt then, love. I'd rather hold you like this than hold you while you die._

I found I could not respond. I nuzzled back and, for a cycle or two, he stood there while cradling me in his arms.

I could not keep track of when he moved out of the examination room and neither could he. There was no one in the hallway to see him carrying me and I was glad for that. He seemed to have difficulty keeping a hold of me but, when I offered that I could walk if I slung my arm over his shoulders, he turned it down. It did not take us long to make it to his room anyways, and I was surprised that he still managed to keep a hold on me when he reached a hand out to enter the password for the room. The door hissed open and he staggered inside before it could close on him. His bedroom was dark and no light shone through the windows due to the overcast night. It was near pitch black and the only way I could see was from the light radiating from our optics. My eyes were dull enough as it was, so it was mostly Terrorsaur's scarlet optics that gave the room light.

Slowly, he walked over to the bed and set me down gently. The gears in my back groaned when I was set down and, for a moment, I strained to sit up. He pressed his hand firmly on my chest in response. It was a silent demand for me to remain still and, with a light shudder, I did as I was wordlessly told.

Terrorsaur left my side and tapped the frame on the computer sitting at his desk. The screen made a whirring sound and lit up slowly, casting an alien white light over the room. It wasn't too different from the light the monitor Starscream leapt at me from glared. Terrorsaur felt my comparison to the monitors and but otherwise said nothing. On the berth, the two stones that we found inside Tanna-16's crystal cavern remained. I had more or less moved into Terrorsaur's room since bonding to him, so I honestly felt no need to take my ruby to my own quarters. It wasn't as if I had anything of value in my own room anyways. Terrorsaur was all that I ever needed.

With the new light illuminating his quarters, Terrorsaur turned to face me. His form was dark from the light blotting out his form, and he cast a shadow over me. All that I could clearly see of him was his bright scarlet stars and I shivered at the burning look that reflected deep within them. Whereas anyone else would have been frightened by the look and the shadow that spilled over me, I was comforted by it.

Terrorsaur crossed the room and slowly climbed onto the berth, hovering over me on all fours. I could see his face again now, although it was only half. The white light caught on the right hand portion of his features, making his ghostly synthetic flesh look paler than usual, while the rest of his face was darkened by shadows. His eyes never faltered in intensity either way. I shivered underneath him out of anticipation and sat up slightly again out of reflex. Terrorsaur pressed his hand against my chest gently, although with enough force to show he was assertive. His optics, scarlet stars in the darkness of his quarters, bore into my own and, although the night sky outside lacked stars due to the overcast clouds, his optics replaced their stunning beauty tenfold.

He lovingly caressed the bondlink and applied more pressure on my chest. _Lie back._

I did not have much of a choice. I did, feeling the throb in my lower regions intensify as I gave a weak mewl in anticipation. My back groaned in a dull pain from the stress of being recently reassembled and I had to repress the urge to move. The only noise came from the buzzing of Terrorsaur's computer monitor sitting innocently on his desk and, considering exactly what had happened earlier today, the silence seemed sacred. Well deserved even. There were no words because we wanted to forget what happened with me becoming possessed and there was no need to voice it. Terrorsaur climbed over me on all fours, his scarlet optics locking onto my own, before he leaned down gently and kissed me. He supported his weight above me as so he wouldn't out my already sore body under more stress.

He kissed me lightly, although none too less passionately. I mewled pathetically and let my jaw hang open ever so slightly as to grant him access. He took it readily and explored the inside of my mouth, running his talented glossa over my dentals and the roof before he slowly let his hands trail down my sides. I groaned softly and buzzed, letting my optics dim when Terrorsaur brought a hand down to my waist to rub the thin wires there. The monitor on Terrorsaur's desk and it covered us in an alien blue light that highlighted Terrorsaur's face and muted his crimson armor. I still saw him as scarlet in my optics though, and I had to suppress the urge to reach up to stroke his wings… He wanted me all to himself, and I was going to let him have me regardless.

Terrorsaur broke our kiss and trailed his mouth and lips down my jaw line and down towards my neck, kissing and nipping anywhere his teeth and mouth could catch. The cables there were teased and I had to suppress a shudder. A moan built up in the back of my throat and I tried my best to hold it back.

…Still, I could not help the soft, razzed moan that tore itself from my throat when Terrorsaur's ebony colored digits traced over my codpiece, rubbing it gently with enough force to cause mindless pleasure but not to open it. My mind, still dull enough as it was, hazed over with need and I shamelessly arched up into the touch. Terrorsaur applied slightly more pressure, wanting to provide me with as much as I wanted. His lips trailed down my collarbone and he sucked then, causing me to arch my neck and writhe under his administrations.

Before I could process what he was doing, his lips trailed further down my torso and I buzzed in aroused eagerness. He clambered down my body in a feline like matter and arched his tongue as he traced it over my abs. I found myself gripping his shoulders tightly a moment later, entirely delusional with arousal. The hands on my codpiece pushed down slightly and my access port clicked open with a barely audible clack.

I shuddered when I felt Terrorsaur's breath on my port and I had to force myself to lie back. My grip on his shoulders tightened ever so slightly, went lax again out of reflex, and I felt Terrorsaur send me a cascading wave of love through our link.

Then it all exploded.

My mouth flew open in a strangled, needy moan when Terrorsaur brought his lips to my port, lapping at the thin wiring and motherboards wherever his tongue could reach. He forced his glossa back as far as it could and he brought it to the side at an angle as to brush it against a cluster of circuits that were rarely treated. I bucked without even realizing and my hands went from his shoulders to the back of his head, holding him in place. Terrorsaur reached up and grabbed my hips as to help keep me in place and momentarily withdrew his glossa to suck on the outer ridges of my port. I had to bite my tongue to keep from crying out in bliss, though my breath betrayed me and came out in short, heated pants that gave away my desire. Terrorsaur slipped his glossa back into my port, forcing it between the now heavily lubricated wires. I could feel the buzz of static charging in between my legs that sent heat lancing up my pelvis, through my torso, and into my chest before it looped down back to my port.

Terrorsaur uttered a low, squawked moan before he arched his tongue and, _oh_ _yes_, he brushed that talented glossa on the roof of my port before following the wire there all the way to the back. He had to sit up slightly to accomplish that task, but Primus I thought I was going to explode into overload right there and then. His tongue made small circles on the back of my port and moved down, nearly making me cry out in ecstasy and arch my back almost painfully. An overload charged up near the breaking point in my pelvic region and sent an immense heat up into my spark chamber, preparing me for overload.

He pulled his glossa out slowly before he plunged it back in, brushing it against my sweet spot. The spot itself was a small cluster of wires connected to a relatively packed bunch of crammed circuits and it was enough to send me over the edge.

I bucked hard and arched by back feeling the overload belt through my body. Heat exploded throughout my chest and I had to mute my vocalizer to keep from crying out loud enough to alert the entire base. Terrorsaur continued to grip my hips as he swirled his glossa around my sweet spot, intent on drawing out my overload for as long as possible. My coolant system worked in overdrive while I silently moaned out my overload through my subdued voice modulator, sweat clinging to my writhing frame like a film. Lights - all of which were a brilliant red - danced across my abruptly blurred vision like sparks from a fire and, _oooooh Primus,_ he arched his tongue and found the sweet spot within my sweet spot. My hands went from the back of his head to either side of the berth and I gripped it hard enough to make the metal groan.

The stimulation was too much. I could not keep silent anymore.

_TERRORSAUR! Oh! OOOOOOH, TERRORSAAAAaaaaauuuuuUUURRRRR, YES! Yes, yeesss, oooooooooh, YEEEEESSSSSSSSS!_

Had anyone been watching us, they would've thought I was overloading silently with my jaws ajar in a silent, moaning screech. As it was, through our bond, I suddenly found I could not shut up. I chanted his name over our link again and again and moaned out every ounce of love I had for him.

My overload began to dwindle and I rode out the last few moments. My vents hissed, letting my breath come out in ragged pants, and Terrorsaur withdrew his tongue from my smoldering hot port to rub at the rim with his fingers so a relaxing post-overload could set in. I moaned silently and let my jaw fall open in a muted purr of satisfaction, letting my left hand gripping the side of the berth fall and dangle off the bed lifelessly.

He wasn't finished with me.

He plunged two of his fingers into my port and pulled them back out before I could moan. He rubbed his lube coated digits around my stomach and thighs before sitting up and fiddling with his own crotch. His port clicked open with a hiss and sparks danced between his parted legs. The blue light from the monitor enhanced it enough that the sparking was almost hypnotic and I turned my head to awe at his form. My eyes, I was sure, were glazed from my overload moments before. He looked down at me, optics ablaze with passion, and his scarlet stars found my eyes. I was lost in them immediately and he braced his hands on either side of my head before bowing his head down and kissing me. Our jaws molded together in an openmouthed kiss and he gently brought his port down to marry it with mine. Electricity ignited my insides immediately and I had to break our kiss hold back a moan.

His thrusts were slow and gentle at first, but the pulses he sent through our ports made my fingers turn into claws while I gripped the edges of the berth again. He rocked against me lovingly, his jaw tensing while he obviously willed to keep silent, and he kissed up my shoulder and throat with a subdued fever. Love flowed through our link, back and forth in rocking waves like our bodies, but then Terrorsaur thrust slightly harder. I wasn't sure if he had meant it, but _Primus_ it felt so _good_. Being caught off guard and assaulted by the driving pleasure at the same time, I could not help the moan that ripped itself free from my vocalizer. Terrorsaur groaned above me like he was dying and he ducked his head against my upper right chest while he kept pumping into me.

My chest plate hissed open.

The panels opened without my consent to reveal my pulsating green spark, thrumming in bliss and wanting a bond. The green light illuminating from my chest caught his face in its glow and, despite the monitor's blue hued light alongside with the colored light from my spark, Terrorsaur's optics were still their beautiful scarlet. He looked up at me with glazed optics, silently asking me for permission. He kept thrusting and pulsing electricity in between my thighs, but I had enough resolve to shakily lift my head and catch his lips with my mandibles. It was a silent answer and I heard his own chest plate hiss open. We broke our kiss and Terrorsaur's face was illuminated red with the light of his essence. Both sparks thrummed and pulsated in sync.

He arched his hips again against my port and the pulse he sent out stimulated my sweet spot. I had been keeping from sending pulsations of my own but, oh _Primus,_ I could not resist sending out a frenziedly strong one of my one. I stimulated his own sweet spot and he bucked with a low gasp, arching and moaning and gripping the berth on either side of my head. Condensation glistened on his face and he trembled all over in near euphoric ecstasy. He kept his pumping and he looked down at me with glazed, unfocused optics that flared brilliantly in the mixed lights of his quarters. They still glowed their brilliant scarlet - stars in my night sky - and he slowly bent down to shakily kiss me. I reached a hand up to cup the back of his helm - gripping the back of his sweeping crest before moving my hand and resting it just below that - and he moved his own hands to grip either side of my head.

He brought our chests together. Agony, hot and white, flared through each of our bodies and broke our kiss to gasp. My body convulsed for a click but Terrorsaur braced himself against me and tightly held either side of my head. My optics met his fiery ones and we locked gazes moments before the pain left and the warm, pulsating bliss set in. Terrorsaur's face contorted with it and what little control he had was instantly lost. His optics dulled and he buried his head against my shoulder as a moan tore free from his throat. His thrusts and pulses suddenly became erratic, out of sync with each other, and I cried out from his actions robbing me near of all my coherent thought.

I reached my free hand out to grasp his hip, but he maneuvered his left hand away from my face and grabbed the hand I extended. Our fingers interlocked like steel vices and we simultaneously came mere moments later.

I gasped and moaned breathlessly when my overload suddenly hit me. It surged from my chest and lashed down my legs like a whip before exploding through the rest of my body. Terrorsaur cried out for a moment before silencing himself and surrendering to his own overload. Sheer, blunt love was swung back and forth between our bond and continued to even when our energy failed us. My overload began to dwindle away first and ended just as his was beginning to fade. He rode out the last few moments with his mouth ajar against my shoulder in an open mouthed kiss and I squeezed his fist while bringing my other hand to stroke the side of his helm.

It was like I was holding him.

He purred and kissed my shoulder lovingly before maneuvering his head so he could look into my eyes. Our gazes meet and I felt like I was drowning in his brilliant crimson stare. It was far from being an unpleasant sensation even when he drew his chest away from mine. He kept his chest plate open though, letting the scarlet brilliance catch its face in its light, and he leaned down to kiss me. Our sparks stayed in view - really, it was the click closest thing to being at our most defenseless since overload - and out hands stayed intertwined. He stoked the side of my face with his free hand just as I did with the side of his helm with mine. We broke away and he stared deeply into my eyes with a fiery love.

I razzed tiredly. "Terrorsaur must feel unlucky that he has mate as stupid as Wazzpinator. Can't even work computer without getting possessed by dead people."

Terrorsaur's eyes misted over slightly and I was afraid he was going to break down again… but, instead, he laughed weakly and pressed his forehead to mine. We stayed like that for a very long time before we fell asleep. The next morning, I woke up to find Terrorsaur watching me tiredly. The light from his monitor had long since gone out - the screen had slipped sleep mode, darkening the monitor completely - so the only light in the room came from our still exposed sparks. One that of red, the other of green.

Then the aliens attacked us.


	5. Act V

**v**

Not right away, of course. It happened only just a few weeks preceding Starscream's abrupt arrival and departure from the Predacon ranks. Terrorsaur and I were at Tanna-16 again, this time inside the crystal chamber, and we had been examining the crystals before the both of us fatefully looked in the other's direction and locked optics. In an instant, we were all over each other, kissing and groping for any hold our trembling hands could catch, while Inferno found an alien disk of sorts similar to that of the Golden Disk. As soon as the disk was in the base, Megatron abruptly forged a truce between the Predacon and Maximal forces to attempt translating it. By the time we returned from our mountain, Scorponok filled us in on what was happening. I wasn't surprised - neither was Terrorsaur - and both my mate and I were confident that Megatron had something big planned. As to what, neither of us could come up with a solid answer.

The truce lasted at least a week. Maybe more time passed, but Terrorsaur and I were busy enjoying what time we had to ourselves. With the truce in play, patrols and shifts were shortened considerably. We spent all the time we could at Tanna-16, watching sunsets, hanging around in the gemstone chasm, or fooling around in the lake if we were in the mood to go swimming. A few times, I managed to convince Terrorsaur to chase after me - this, of course, was when I usually splashed cold water on him while he was sunbathing - and he would tackle me to the ground. Occasionally, we would lie on each other's chests still breathing harshly after these events and we'd be lost in each other's eyes for megacycles on end. At the base, we caught ourselves looking straight into one another's optics. Most of our time off duty, when we were not at Tanna, was spent in Terrorsaur's room though. That was for the sole purpose that his were bigger and easier to get around than mine.

Then the truce was more or less over. One day, Tarantulas had managed to lock me in the transwarp cell hold with a bomb after I questioned why he was in the hold to begin with. I was blasted into unconsciousness when the dynamite went off. While I was indisposed, Optimus Primal sent Tigertron into our base and he found out everything Megatron had translated from the disk. It did not matter anyways. The aliens came for us.

Another anomaly was detected from a large desert sector and, I noticed Megatron did so hesitantly, our leader sent me to investigate as soon as my CR cycle was done. Megatron did not bother to explain to me what had happened since I had been unconscious - Terrorsaur did though, and he explained everything about Tigertron breaking into the base through our bond - and he immediately kicked me out of the base to secure the area. Of course, this resulted in me getting my skid plate kicked by an _unarmed_ Rattrap. _Urgh._

I gave him a good right hook to the face when he warned me to not open fire due to our "truce" - which surprised me that it did not end when the Maxis broke into the _Darkside_ - but he kicked dirt into my face a moment later and warned that, if I was going to fight him, I was going to have to play dirty. I could not see him walk up to me in time before he nailed me, with his _knee_, right between my legs. Terrorsaur mentally recoiled on the other side of the bond, taken aback by the sudden pain I was going through, but the torment did not end there. I was victimized to the rat's "robo-noggie" and he flipped me around before kicking me square in the aft. I was tossed into the air and I crashed into the ground hard, being forced to leave.

The embarrassment was intense. Terrorsaur kept trying to question me over the bond, but I said nothing. I radioed him, Megatron, and Scorponok instead to say I failed, and then I closed the link to hope that would be the end of it.

I winced from the pain pulsating where my port was - I was in beast-mode, but it was still incredibly painful - and Terrorsaur felt my flinch though our bond. _Love? You alright?_

_Right between the Primus damn legs,_ I hissed. _I'll damn well give him a piece of my mind the next time I see the fuzzy rat. Shoot him right in between HIS legs if I have to. Even IF he doesn't have much there…_

Terrorsaur, on the other side of our bond, burst our laughing hysterically. He sopped almost as soon as he started the outburst and I presumed it was because Megatron and Scorponok were looking at him like he was crazy. If only they knew of course…

I returned to the _Darkside_, skipping using the CR to mentally keep up to date with what was happening with Terrorsaur, and I was glad I decided to stay conscious for the show. Terrorsaur, Megatron, and Scorponok found the Maximals - consisting of Optimus Primal and Rattrap - trying to get into the device while claiming Airrazor was inside. I razzed proudly - it served the damn femme right - and I felt Terrorsaur smirk through our link. Nonetheless, the Predacons helped the Maximals get inside the mushroom like ship. Attempting to betray them did not work out as planned of course. Optimus had been taken hostage by the device somehow when Rattrap emerged dragging Airrazor with him, and all the Predacons there drew their weapons. Optimus Primal somehow managed to activate the device though, causing the device to brighten like a light bulb that pulsated in its light's intensity. Scorponok became distracted and Rattrap managed to grab his missile claw, aiming it at Megatron and firing it. The tyrant was blown backwards and Airrazor fired a pulse dart at Scorponok to knock him away as well.

Terrorsaur transformed and leveled his pistol to the back of Airrazor's head while she was distracted, prepared to take her life. _This is for what you did to Waspinator and me, wench!_

Terrorsaur did not have time to scream when he was shot in the chest by Rattrap. My mate had obviously forgotten about the rat and was blasted backwards onto a rock. He smashed his back hard, arching it painfully, and his pistol fell from his hands. He had hurt himself decently - the pain lashed through the link was enough to make me gnash my teeth and ball my fists on the console in front of me - and he wavered in an out of consciousness.

_No! Terrorsaur, stay awake! You need to get out of there! That thing is going to blow!_

Terrorsaur gnashed his own teeth and strained to move. Through the link, I heard my scarlet star faintly hear Optimus talking to Rattrap and Airrazor about a 'termination sequence' brought on by the aliens. The three Maximals then fled - Optimus carrying Rattrap while Airrazor flew beside the Maximal leader - leaving Terrorsaur alone and the thing still pulsating behind him.

I did not find the news inspiring in the slightest.

_Terrorsaur…_

_I heard. Slaggit, give me a cycle to move…_ I felt him manage to roll himself off the boulder he had painfully landed on and I felt his back sparking through the link. He landed on his forearms and knees, letting them give out enough that his face was firmly planted in the ground, and he struggled to stand. _See if you can figure out what the slag is going on, love. I'm going to catch up with Megs and Scorponok._

_Be careful_, I urged. I did as I was told and scanned the sector the alien ship had landed. Through the link, I felt Terrorsaur limp away painfully, hunched from the damage he had sustained to his back, and he only barely managed to flip himself over a barrier like hill of sand before the ship brightened like a sun and exploded upwards. It erupted seemingly, sending a huge ray of light up towards the sky, and it was so powerful the lights in the base flickered from the power surge produced. Terrorsaur was fine - he had ducked his head down into the sand and thrown his hands over his head to protect his scarlet optics from the light - and my fingers flew over the keypad to attempt tracking where the signal was going.

The beam hit the darker of the two moons. The surface of it was ripped clean away and it started to glow menacingly.

My spark sank. "Oh _Primuzz…"_

Terrorsaur felt my intense worry and his own spark sank as well. My mate managed to scramble up to his feet and take off, catching up with Megatron an Scorponok while they retreated as well - my mate was barely conscious from the damages he sustained, though he was still able to fly - and the ship continued to send luminescence towards the darker of the two moons. It did so for quite sometime.

When my mate and the rest of our company returned - save for Inferno, Tarantulas, and Blackarachnia, who were all missing - I filled them in on what I found on the scanners. My mate already knew what was going on of course - I filled him in over our link - but the look that spread over Megatron's face at the news made me loose even more hope. It was detached like he was deep in thought, and it did not make me feel confident about our situation. The four of us present in the _Darkside_ kept watch on the moon for sometime until the beam shooting up at it seemingly vanished. The alien energy signature from the site stopped spiking and everything was still.

Terrorsaur saw this from the monitor he was watching from. "They're leaving…" He looked over his shoulder towards Megatron, relief washing through his systems. It comforted me. "We scared them away!"

Megatron maneuvered his throne so that he could see his own monitor console. I turned away from my own monitor and looked to Megatron when he spoke. "Hardly. Computer, patch in space scanner."

Terrorsaur turned back to his monitor and I felt a sense of disturbed awe wash through him. I felt it through the link and looked back at my own monitor. Though I had only turned away form a brief moment, I was partially disturbed that the moon had seemingly vanished. Terrorsaur's voice was faraway. "It's gone…"

Scorponok spoke up from his own station. "The aliens have destroyed it."

"_Don't!"_ Megatron slammed his tyrannosaur head hand onto the armrest of his throne, making all three of us jump. "It was never a moon… And it's _far_ from gone."

The way he said it made me shudder. Terrorsaur felt my unease and he caressed the corners of our bondlink.

Megatron turned to his orb like computer and he spoke again. "Computer, magnify image!"

The monitors that once showed the moon zoomed in on the sphere's last coordinated location. A small, rotating black sphere sat there and we would have never noticed it because it blended with the night sky so well. It didn't two clicks later.

It glowed brightly and the alien readings on the monitors flared to life again, spiking tremendously. The moon transformed so to speak, unfolding on itself and turning into a ring shaped object in the night sky. Golden energy flashed inside the ring and pulsated through another sphere sat within. It too began to unfold, turning into a gold plated thing that went from being a ring to flattening out into a bowl. The bowl spiked from within and swept from the edges to form a small peak. While the golden thing rotated on its left, the outer ring rotated on its right.

Fear rippled across Terrorsaur's end of the link and, suddenly, our sparks flared painfully. I wasn't sure why then, but I know now that it was a warning of things to come.

Scorponok turned to Megatron and shrugged. He hid it well, but I could tell he was scared too. "What is it?"

Megatron stared at it for a moment longer. "Well, I'd say it was the instrument of our destruction."

I was my turn to feel fear. My spark and the spark of my lover contorted again and, to make up for it, Terrorsaur stroked the corners of our bond. I stroked his back.

Megatron was still talking. "Impressive, yesss…"

Terrorsaur looked at him fully, turning to face him. "What do we _do!_"

Our tyrant's optics narrowed and he took the situation more seriously all of a sudden. "Seal the base and charge all shields. I will see to the rest…"

We did as we were told and, as soon as emergency procedures were care of, Scorponok and Terrorsaur ran a quick round in the CR chambers. Terrorsaur and I retired to his room afterward. It seemed relatively quiet for the most part that night actually, but it changed after Terrorsaur looked out the window at the alien device looming overhead. I had been lying on the recharge berth with my interface port still sore from when Rattrap kicked it, and I was falling asleep.

Terrorsaur was suddenly over me a click later. Tears threatened to erupt from his optics and, after a moment of hesitation, he nuzzled my neck tenderly. I felt a mental agony wash over our bondlink like a cascade of humid heat and, after a moment, it dawned on me that he was clinging to me like the universe would fall apart around him if he dared to let go. I remembered the time Terrorsaur, despite the fact he was a flier, was once deathly afraid of heights. It dawned on me like a blossomed flower that, perhaps, falling and feeling helpless were similar in thoughts. My scarlet star's thoughts were jumbled and entirely unorganized. Ridiculously out of character of him to say the least. After a moment, I reached up and stroked the back of his head.

Terrorsaur's breath hitched abruptly and I heard him sob.

It tore at every seam of my spark. His shoulders shook with the effort of not leaning on me too much as to make me uncomfortable and from the stress he was undergoing. Moisture dapped at my neck where his face was placed against - at the level of his optics - and his end of the bond wavered on the verge of a complete breakdown. I sent it reassuring waves and tried my best to calm him, though it was to nearly no avail.

A single statement made its way over to my half of the link without being lost in the mass of other thoughts brewing in Terrorsaur's head. _I don't want to loose you._

I continued to stroke his helm, making small cooing sounds in the back of my throat, and I responded. _You won't._

He continued to bawl, but I could tell leaning over me on all fours was beginning to put stress onto his already strained back. I let my hand slip away from his head to the back of his neck before I took it in my fist as gently as I could. He did not have as much of a scruff as I did, but me pulling up on it was enough to get his attention. He looked up, optics bright and dull at the same time, and his jaw was tight from anguish. As a bondmate, it was pure instinct that lead me to intervene.

_Lie down._

His shoulders shook and his jaw tensed even more. He did not respond, but he gave in and did so. His motions were slow and he was still trying to not put his whole weight on top of me. I moved my hand down his neck and applied slightly more pressure to get him to completely lie on my chest.

He whimpered. _Waspy…_

_I'll be fine. You need this._

Terrorsaur hesitated for a moment before he finally let himself give in. He settled his whole weight on top of me and pressed his head sideways against my torso. His optics met mine.

My hand on his neck moved back to his helm and my right hand slipped down between us. It took a bit of nudging on my part to get him to move slightly so I could get my hand where I wanted it, and he opened his legs with a great deal of hesitation. He whimpered, letting a light whine rise from somewhere in his throat, and then my hand was on the back of his neck again, gripping and massaging in a last ditch attempt to make him relax.

His port hissed open and I moved the hand I had between us again. His change in expression was immediate.

His scarlet optics went from teary to hazed and his jaw - once tightly closed - popped open. His end of the bond wavered in place, he took a ragged breath, and I felt his internals immediately start the lubrication process in his access dock. I gently slipped my digit further inside and I carefully watched Terrorsaur's face. It twisted with a pleasure I could see he was trying to hide the further I got inside and I gently buzzed in his audio. By the time I got my finger in as far as it would go, his optics shut and he gasped through his open maw. His body tensed and the grip he had on my shoulders tightened, but he did not pull away. Keeping his optics offline, he made a mewling sound and I continued my ministrations.

It wasn't in the traditional sense, but I still made love to him. He lied motionless above me, keeping his head turned sideways against my chest, and his faultless face contorted with every digit I slipped in and out of him. His jaw would tremble every time I slowly dragged my finger against a cluster of wires on either side of his port while he shuddered and gasped softly when I added another finger. We were silent during the whole transaction, but our bondlink wasn't at all inactive.

Terrorsaur constantly relayed images of what he saw of me. From his perspective, I was flawless. From his optics alone, I was the most perfect being he'd ever wanted to share his life with. Every time he looked at me, all he ever saw was a shimmering emerald angel. I showed him that he was my scarlet star and he began to rock against my digits when I added a third finger. The motions he made were slow and gentle, done perhaps unconsciously, and hands on my shoulders tightened and loosened with every sway. His face was twisted in pleasure - his mouth still wide open in that turned in a half smile with his optics offline still - and I hadn't been aware of his oncoming overload until I added a fourth finger. He shuddered suddenly, his breath hitching and jaw falling as wide open as it could, and it finally dawned on me just how _close_ he was. A light film of sweat clung to his forehead and I gently rubbed the back of his helm before I maneuvered my hand down to his face.

I brushed it against his cheek - the same one I caressed when I found his head after Airrazor nearly killed him - and the loving touch was enough to ease him over the edge.

It wasn't a powerful overload, but it was certainly _far_ from unpleasant the way he reacted. Terrorsaur continued to rock against me with his jaw still hanging open. The half smile that was there turned into a delusional grin moments before he moaned my name in ecstasy. He sank into himself and he eventually stopped thinking altogether, surrendering to his overload completely. His form trembled while he weakly clung to me during his overload and I merely took my hand away from his face to wrap my free arm around him.

I held him. I _held_ him… There was _nothing_, in my opinion, that I would rather be doing right then and there. His spark thrummed out the love he felt for me in a Morse code only our essences could understand and mine answered back to him.

I wasn't sure how long his overload actually lasted - nor had I been keeping track of the time I spent pleasuring him - but it began to dwindle while the swaying of his hips eventually slowed and ceased. He lay on top of my chest, breathing dreamily and entirely lax, and I had to speak his name both aloud and through the link to garner his attention. He let his optics online slightly and he looked at me with a glassy expression.

I let a wave of slight concern brush over his half of the bond. _Are you alright?_

He responded with sending a pulse of reassurance - slightly off balance since he was still in a post overload haze - over to my half followed by cascading love.

_I love you._

It was blunt from his half, but the sheer amount of truth and devotion underlining it was enough to make my breath hitch. He turned his head and kissed me. It was weak due to his exhaustion, but the passion in it did not lack. I gently turned over towards the wall beside the berth and let him slide off my body effortlessly. He was like a rag doll - completely tranquil to an extreme that made him look so much more fragile than he really was - and I doubted he would actually be able to move if he tried. He pulled my digits out of him slowly - he shuddered and moaned, though he was too tired to give anymore of a response - and I held him in my arms again. I wrapped them around his body, pulling him close to me, and he nestled his head against my neck.

His hand - the one that he used to grasp my fist when we made love inside the cavern at Tanna-16 - found its place flat against my chest and directly over my spark. Lost in the moment, he kissed my neck tenderly and my left arm left its place around his slender form. I still held him, yes, but my hand found its place over his spark as well. He shivered under the touch and I gently bowed my head to kiss the top of his helm. Before we fell asleep in each other's embraces, I responded to what he had last said to me.

_I love you too. _

We usually dreamt peacefully, but we both had a nightmare instead. Because of our shared minds, we shared our dreams as well more or less without realizing it in our subconscious.

We found ourselves shrouded in a thick fog standing on what I thought was a destroyed mountain, but our scanners revealed it was really Tanna-16. There was a dark pathway shrouded in mist and Terrorsaur moved to lead the way down its winding path. After awhile, we both came across a clearing. The ground was dark and black encrusted, but our scanners told us that it was volcanic rock. Although Tanna-16 was not a volcanic area, it did not seem to matter. I looked over at Terrorsaur and he looked at me with equal despair before we looked down and saw a massive pit. It was rectangular in shape and neither of us could see the bottom. Abruptly, something moved behind Terrorsaur before I could see what it was or intervene. Whatever it had been, it was gone a moment later. Not without pushing Terrorsaur of course. My bondmate, unable to regain his balance, fell forward into the dark abyss.

With horror, I realized the dug pit was a _grave_.

My spark flared in agony suddenly and it was enough to wake me up. My internal clock said that we hadn't slept for more than ten cycles. My vision was hazed upon returning to reality and, putting the sharp pain from my spark aside, I realized I was crying. In an instant, I looked down in my arms to see Terrorsaur's face twisted in fear while he remained in recharge. It was only then I realized we had been dreaming the same thing and he was still living the nightmare where I bailed. The hand I held on his chest wrapped itself around Terrorsaur again and I gently shook him.

"Terror-bot? Terror-bot…"

His face suddenly twisted in pain and horror. I shook him again and spoke aloud and through the link.

"_Terrorsaur."_

His optics blinked open and he groggily looked up at me. Tears immediately sprung from his optics and he made a pathetic sound in the back of his throat. My arms wrapped tighter around his body and I pressed my forehead to his.

He spoke. "Did you have the same-?"

"Yezz." I gently rubbed circles on his upper back.

Then my spark flared again, and I felt Terrorsaur's follow suit with mine.

He arched his back and gnashed his teeth to keep from crying out and I hunched forward with a painful bow of my head. Our bondlink, to my horror, was rattled violently by this. When our sparks flared wanting a bond, our link was usually still intact.

Then again, I realized, that it was possible our links had caused the flare and not the sparks themselves.

I looked at him and he looked at me. Instinct took over and he had pinned me to the berth with shaking hands in an instant. His optics found mine and our chambers clicked open to reveal our pulsating sparks.

We overloaded seven times in total.

He leaned down shakily and kissed my lips furiously. My hands roamed up and down his back in search for any purchase I could find. I gripped the wings tucked tightly into his back and he moaned with a loud sob. He locked our ports together and sucked my antennas while I moaned for him and rocked against his scarlet form. He moaned and sucked on my wingtips when I flipped him over and took his port with my mouth. It had felt like megacycles - though the reality had to have only been under ten or so cycles perhaps - and I ended up straddling Terrorsaur's lap.

We were sitting up straight, covered coolant from our rapidly overheated systems trying to cool us down, and the look in his optics when they met mine was absolute adoration and desperateness. Our sparks pulsated frantically in their chambers and Terrorsaur's scarlet essence flared again. His face twitched in pain - not nearly as much as before, but mine flared did as well - and his spark pulsed hard a click later. Awed, I bowed my head and kissed it tenderly the same moment he reached a trembling hand out to pet my emerald spark. We groaned and rocked together, back and forth at even intervals, with each stroke or kiss.

For me, feeling my lover's spark flutter under my touches brought near tears to my optics. To think such a powerful glowing sphere of energy and gorgeous scarlet light shined for _me_ and me _only_ was far too sentimental for my hazed mind to comprehend.

It was the last time we ever made love. I pulled away from him and kissed him deeply. That was also the last time I ever got to directly see the scarlet essence of his spark.

He took his hand away from my spark - my green essence flared wanting the stimulation to continue, but I tried my best to ignore it - and wrapped his arms around my neck. I wrapped my own arms around his and our sparks tugged at one another like the universe's most powerful magnets. Our chests were smashed to one another and our sparks fused together completely almost immediately. Gold light radiated from between our chests and the pleasure was so immense that we could not voice it. Terrorsaur's jaw went wide just as it had when I fingered him earlier in the night and my mandibles fell open in bliss. Even our bondlink, so usually full of life, was near desolate. Only one emotion had enough power to surge through it like a megaton volt of electricity. Love.

_Forever, _Terrorsaur moaned through the link suddenly. He shuddered all over as if he was freezing and his jaw trembled with it. _Gods, Primus, I'd throw myself in a lava pit if it meant I could stay with you forever._

I showed him through the bond that I agreed with him, delirious what reality his statement would turn into within the next few megacycles.

I overloaded, shaking hard enough that I nearly threw myself off my lover. I smashed my hips into his and I gave shrieking moans like I was dying. I was glad Terrorsaur had turned the soundproof on before we started, but then I thought my scream would've reached beyond the room regardless. I didn't care, though. All that I cared for those sweet moments in time was the fact that only Terrorsaur saw me this venerable. I clung to him like a lifeline and he held me back. His own overload came mere clicks after mine started. He thrashed for a moment and barely managed to keep sitting upright. He trembled just as hard as I did and his own moaning shriek came out a higher octave than usual. He rocked against me and kept doing so even as I started to finish. I watched through my hazed eyes as he came to his end and, having lost all strength, he went dead limp against me in unconsciousness.

Our sparks were still fused. That wasn't normal. It wasn't as if I had the energy to care though. I managed to lie his form down while I was still connected to him and I fell asleep on his chest. We slept together - for the last time, mind you - until Terrorsaur woke up sometime later and watched me while I slept. A few cycles after that, the alarms inside the base suddenly went off.

I woke up with a start - again, my internal clock said I'd only been asleep for forty-five cycles or so, meaning that we gotten less than an megacycle's worth of recharge - and Terrorsaur jerked in surprise. To my surprise, our sparks were still fused. The gold light radiated upwards and mixed with the red flashing lights of the alarms.

I looked up and met Terrorsaur's eyes. _Love?_

_I'm as confused as you are,_ he admitted. _They… Our sparks don't want to separate. _

This was a dead accurate statement. Usually after spark fusing, sparks would return to the chambers of their original host body without preamble. Ours had done the same thing when we bonded but now they seemingly did not want to come apart. It was strange and, when I tried to pull my chest away from his, the magnetic fields kept me from moving from him. _I made a mental hiss. I can't budge away._

There was a sudden amount of bright light outside the long window. Heat followed with it and I snapped my head up to look. Terrorsaur could not see from his position underneath me, but he could see through the visual feedback I showed him from our bond. Outside the window, everything was alit with some sort of energy. Heat radiated through the thick window like a furnace and the temperature climbed. I could see the frightening gold light was descending on the landscape from the alien device moon. It was a thermal beam.

Terrorsaur trembled underneath me. _Oh gods, it's going to ignite the energon deposits! They're going to blow up the PLANET!_

I held onto him tightly. On top of the alarms blaring throughout the entire base and the rumbling from somewhere outside - as Terrorsaur said, there were deposits already beginning to explode - it was total chaos. I could only imagine what it was like in the control center. The thermal beam probably had all the devices inside the ship on the fritz with the extra energy wreaking havoc. I buzzed and shook as well. We need to get to the control room to help.

Then I realized something else. The window wasn't going to hold with the heat. If it broke…

Terrorsaur felt my thoughts. _Holy frag, we'll be roasted! It'll be ten times worse than the flying island obelisk's beam! We need to get out!_

_On the count of three, sit up and arch. I might be able to break away from you_, I said hurriedly. The window could blow in at any click if we did not hurry and, knowing my luck, it was going to be soon. Terrorsaur propped himself up on his elbows and he looked deeply into my eyes. We both trembled. _One…_

He grit his teeth and bucked. _THREE!_

I pulled myself back as hard as I could and, for a moment, our sparks held fast to one another. They pulsed in pain, seemingly hell bent on staying together, before they both flared in agony. Terrorsaur cried out in pain underneath me and my own shriek matched his. Finally, our sparks seemed to give up and they ripped away from one another. I recoiled feeling my emerald spark slam back into my chest and I reeled backwards off the berth completely. I hit the ground with a crash and slammed my head against the dark metal. I blacked out for half a click before I woke up feeling Terrorsaur furiously shaking my arm. He had closed his chest plate and mine he probably found time to close mine as well.

"_C'mon, get UP!"_ He screamed both outloud and through our link, desperately trying to revive me. _"WASPINATOR!" _

"Wazzpinator is awake," I replied. I tried to get to my feet, fell back onto my aft, and Terrorsaur grabbed my arm. He pulled me to my feet and we both started heading for the door. He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks with a loud, vulgar curse.

"_FRAGGIT!"_ He turned on his heel and he ran back. I cried out for him to come back - he damn well was going to get himself killed if he went back in there - but he ignored me. He skidded to a halt right next to the window and snatched something off his desk. He crossed the room again in three long, running strides and he slammed into me. We ran for the door and we had only a click to spare when he slammed the button to open the door. The window groaned behind us like it was ready to implode.

We staggered into the hallway - I tripped and slammed into the wall - and Terrorsaur turned to the door to close it. It hissed closed just as I heard something shatter. I felt a nearly unbearable heat whoosh from the crack underneath the door. The room itself would probably be fine, but it was just a matter of us being in it.

Terrorsaur panted and spoke over the blaring alarms. "I needed to clean that window anyways." He turned to me and quickly strode across the hallway. He knelt beside me and pulled me to his chest. "You okay, love?" I trembled all over thinking that we could've nearly died. He laughed humorously and held me tighter in an attempt to comfort me - something that he tried in vain to do - but I could feel that he was shaken as well. He rocked me against his chest and he held me. "We could've been in there when it blew. I would've never thought we were in danger unless you thought about it. You saved our afts, buzzy."

_The window_, I mourned over the link. _The room… Terrorsaur, we BONDED in there._

He felt my heartache and I felt his spark reflect it. He held me tighter. _I can replace the window and fix it back up later. I can't replace you…_ He paused and held out his hand. _I can't replace these either. Not anymore. _

In his hand, sparkling in the lights cast by the alarms, was the emerald and ruby. They were the items he snatched off his desk before the window exploded. I stared in disbelief at the items and then looked back up at him. His eyes were enhanced in the glow cast off by the alarms. My spark pulsated with a sort of happiness that he had recovered them, but then his statement regarding he could not replace them hit home. Despite myself, I felt my optics water over.

Tanna-16, by now, was destroyed.

I shuddered violently and my voice cracked. "Oh _Primuzz…"_

He held me tighter and rocked against me when I cried. He shushed me and squeezed my form against his. "Shhhhh, Waspy. Waspinator, love, its okay…"

I was too broken to even think clearly. I just held back onto him and prayed that this was a nightmare.

There were footfalls that resonated and I felt Terrorsaur snap his head up to see Scorponok rounding the corner. The mechanic skidded to a halt and, upon seeing our embrace on the floor, I was immediately horrified that Scorponok would see through it and see we were bonded. That wasn't the case. Instead, he saw my sobbing form and he rushed over. _"Primus,_ what-?"

"Waspinator and I were in my quarters when the thermal beam came down. The window was getting ready to blow in and we barely made it out of there. He's just shaken up is all."

I trembled in Terrorsaur's arms and, running out of air, I gasped and sobbed loudly again. It was a clever lie, though not far from the truth. Tanna, _our place_, was _gone_. I damn well had a very good reason to be shaken up.

Scorponok seemed to understand and, from Terrorsaur's eyes - my head was buried against my lover's chest - I could see Scorponok recoiling at the heat spilling in from underneath the door. The mechanic bit his lower lip and looked back down at us. "We need to get to the control center immediately. The-"

Terrorsaur interrupted him again. "Aliens are trying to blow the planet sky high. We felt energon exploding not too far from the base. How long do we have?"

"We're not sure," Scorponok admitted with a dreary. His visor was bright and both my mate and I could tell he was terrified. "We need to get to the command center _now_. Do you need help?"

"I got him," Terrorsaur said. He hoisted me to my feet and my knees gave out. I fell and Terrorsaur had to haul one of my arms over his shoulder. He half dragged me down the hallway with Scorponok leading the way until I could walk on my own. Terrorsaur addressed me through our bond. _Are you alright?_

_If we have to loose Tanna, so be it,_ I said with a sad voice. I looked back to him, eyes still watery, and that was when I noticed his eyes were misty too. I wasn't sure when he started or how he was able to hide it for so long, but it did not matter. He saw that I noticed and he could not control himself. Tears spilt down his face and he hastily reached a hand up to brush them away. He was fine otherwise, but he was just as sad about loosing Tanna as I was. I was tempted to kiss him to help ease our pain, but I wasn't going to risk it with Scorponok walking just ahead of us. If he turned his head just slightly, he would see our display. Instead, I massaged our link and showed him a mental image of me kissing him instead. The image of the kiss was the first one we shared on Tanna-16's mountain face. I spoke through the link again. _So be it, but just as long as I don't loose you. _

He nodded. The mental image turned to him kissing me back. _You too._

The control room was in total chaos. Megatron was barely managing to stay in his throne as it was and the room shook mercilessly. Erupting energon deposits were the most obvious here and the lava below the control deck hissed dangerously. The ship trembled and jerked, indicating that the upper part of the ship sticking out of the lava fields had fallen somewhat. We all nearly lost our balance in surprise and we all cried out.

Megatron was rambling. "Brilliant! They're causing a chain reaction which will rip this planet to atoms and destroy all traces of them!" He turned away as though he was addressing an unseen audience. "Simply to deal with _us."_

Terrorsaur, as if to lighten the mood, shakily caressed the corners of our bond. _The planet is going to blow up and he's TALKING to himself…_

I could not find it in myself to laugh, but I mentally thanked him for making me feel slightly better.

Megatron was _still_ ranting. At the rate he was going, I was tempted to say he had gone mad from the heat. "What sheer _ruthlessness_. What _disregard_ for sentient life!" Again, he seemed to turn to an unseen audience. "I rather like these aliens."

Terrorsaur could not take Megatron's apparent insanity anymore. He turned away from me and shrieked at our raving insane leader. _"LIKE them!_ They're trying to _DESTROY us!"_

I felt as though I had to add my own input. "Wazzpinator not _want_ to be destroyed! Wazzpinator has _planzz!" _

"Muh-Megatron will save us!" Scorponok said with a hopeful voice. He looked up at our leader expectantly, hoping our tyrant of a leader would pull one of his random, lifesaving stunts that would surely do what the scorpion hoped for. Terrorsaur and I looked at one another with dread making our sparks sink like rocks thrown into a lake. I moved away from him then, preparing to go to my assigned console. Terrorsaur was tempted to follow suit with me, but Megatron spoke again. He said that was a task he was reserving… For _Tarantulas._

Terrorsaur squeaked over the link. _Oh gods, we ARE going to die…_

And my spark sank further.

Megatron asked for the computer to reestablish some sort of signal with the _Axalon_ and, instantly, a scenario played through my head that Terrorsaur followed with. When Tarantulas had been in the transwarp cell hold - where I found him and confronted him - he had been stealing a cell so he could make an escape ship off the planet. He locked me in the hold and scrapped me with one of his handmade bombs to keep me from ratting him out to Megatron. Regardless though, Megatron had found out. He planned on Blackarachnia finding out about his little scheme and, when they left our base earlier in the day to find a functional stasis pod within the Maximal ship, Inferno followed them. It explained why the arachnids and the ant were absent.

Terrorsaur finished my thoughts. Tarantulas and Blackarachnia were going to fly the pod out of the planet's atmosphere but, because of the thermal beam, they wouldn't get far. The transwarp drive would become magnetized due to the heat and be drawn up towards the alien device. If the pod was caught inside the machine, the heat would cause the transwarp cell to detonate.

And blow up the machine, I finished. I looked at Terrorsaur from across the room_. Do you think it could work?_

He gently nuzzled my end of the bond. _We can pray. _

In my hand, I tightly held my ruby. I felt Terrorsaur's grip on his emerald tighten and we both prayed to Primus.

Some painful twenty or so cycles later, it paid off.

The consoles beeped that there was a stasis pod flying up and away from the _Axalon_. Further scanning showed that, surprisingly, Tarantulas _wasn't_ flying it. _Optimus_ had taken the stasis pod and was flying it out into space to crash it into the mouth of the device. In hindsight, he was going to save us all. Computers buzzed in an annoying monotone that the planet was going to detonate in five cycles if nothing was done and, nervously, we waited. Megatron seemed to have some control over the device though, and I heard give the computer a command to magna-seal the pod hatch.

I razzed from my console and I probed Terrorsaur. _Optimus is going to be killed. _

_Murdered if you put it from Megatron's point of view,_ Terrorsaur responded. He sighed from his post and he sent a pulsation of comfort over to me. _I'll give the monkey credit, though. If he pulls this off and we survive, I'll take back anything nasty I've said about him in the past. _

Megatron opened a communications link with the pod and he contacted Optimus. We listened intently, holding our positions at our posts - there was more rumbling outside as the explosions were getting stronger and more devastating - as our tyrant of a commander gave Primal a final farewell.

Optimus crashed into the device. The device exploded and the Maximal leader went with it.

The whole planet must have shaken from the massive explosion, causing all the lights to momentarily go out in the entire base before the emergency lights came on, but everything went silent. Then the emergency lights flickered and, for a moment, everything was dark.

Scorponok spoke somewhere within the darkness. "…Are we dead?"

But I knew damn well I wasn't. My spark pulsated joyfully and Terrorsaur's responded with an equal vigor. The lights came on again and, even though the damage was evident, the monitors beeped that the outside temperature was dropping. They also showed that the device was gone.

Terrorsaur screeched from the other side of the room, whopping happily. _"We're ALIVE!" _

I gave a whoop of my own and, somewhere from across the room, I heard Scorponok do the same thing. Instantly, I maneuvered my pad around to I could find Terrorsaur. He was across the room at his own console and he had very little time to react when I flew over to him. I brought the pads together, leapt over onto his own pad, and I hugged him tightly. We survived.

I laughed and suddenly felt tears spring from my optics. I shook slightly and Terrorsaur held me tighter. "Oh Primus, Wazzpinator is so _happy!" _

He held me back in his fisted hand, he held his emerald. _I love you so much._

Our sparks suddenly flared in an agonizing manner.

Terrorsaur's knees nearly buckled and he leaned heavily on the railing to the pod. He hissed painfully and I had to suppress the urge to cry out. We broke away from one another and my eyes met his. They were misted over from the sheer bliss of surviving a near disastrous event, but they were now narrowed with confusion. Our sparks flared again and I grit my mandibles hard.

I buzzed. _What's wrong, now?_

He watched my face for a moment before shaking his head. _I don't know._

Megatron had chosen that as being the time to call us over to his throne. I jumped back on my own pad and I maneuvered it over to where Megatron was watching his orb console. Scorponok was already there and Terrorsaur followed me from behind. When the tyrant asked for information on Optimus Primal, it scanned briefly before droning back.

"_Unit Optimus Primal… Destroyed." _

An image of Optimus produced as a hologram from the computer was abruptly stamped over with a deceased brand. We all laughed, but Terrorsaur seemed bothered by it. I questioned him about if over the link - I could not whisper it to him anyways due to the fact he was too far away from me - but Terrorsaur told me he was fine. I could tell he wasn't and I would have probed him further if Scorponok did not break my thoughts. He congratulated Megatron before being swatted away by our leader and, to fill in, I congratulated him too. He elbowed me more or less in the stomach. When he said there was still work to be done and Terrorsaur asked him what it was specifically, our leader bumped him with his throne. He told us that we were to attack the Maximals while they were still mourning their dead leader. He also said it was going to be our final battle. He jinxed it.

His thoughts were interrupted when the computer droned again.

A quantum surge was approaching.

Megatron seemed confident still and only minimally worried, so Terrorsaur and I did not sorry either when he told us to get to our stations. The worst had seemed to past and I was stupid enough to think that Terrorsaur, I, and our love would be safe. He looked at me from across the room and smiled with confidence. To celebrate our survival, he sent me a mental image of what he was planning on doing to me later in the spur of the moment. I caressed his end of the bond and silently thanked Primus for sparing us… After what we had gone through in the morning after our nightmare, I did not want to loose him.

Primus either wasn't listening or did not hear me. Considering my luck, I can presume it was the first possibility.

_It's probably just a little surge. It'll shake the base a little, but that'll be it, _I said to Terrorsaur through the link when we got to our posts. He had moved his pad beside me so we could work on the two consoles beside one another. We had both put our gemstones into a subspace pocket so we could use both hands on the console.

He seemed distant. _Yeah…_

I felt his unease. I looked over at him and saw that he looked nervous. He was rapping his ebony fingers against the keyboard and his bond radiated anxiety. I probed, maybe wondering if this was about Optimus dying again, and he finally caved and told me. _When you bailed from the nightmare… I died in it._

I razzed in surprise and stared at him in surprise. _"What?"_ I said it outloud and through the link. No one else seemed to notice I had said anything.

He nodded and I saw his hands shake somewhat. _When I fell into the pit… Starscream was the one that pushed me in. He went after me and he…_ Terrorsaur could not finish. He shuddered violently and it was only by a miracle that neither Megatron nor Scorponok noticed. Regardless, he kept talking a moment later. _He finally got what he wanted from me. He left me lying there and the ground opened up and there was this boiling hot sensation underneath me. Oh Primus, Waspinator, it felt like someone set me on fire. I sank into lava and I DIED…_

He was shaking slightly harder now. Tentatively, I reached out and touched his arm. _You're fine, love. It was just a dream. _

He tried his best to shake it off. Though he could not do it physically, he leaned on me mentally and I held him through the bond. _Yeah. I guess you're right. I HOPE you're right._

The alarms screamed to life again. Both the spark of my mate and I sank once more when all the insane chaos started to break loose again.

Megatron's face twisted in utter disbelief when the reading came back and showed the oncoming surge to be planet sized. None of us expected it to be as _massive_ as it was. Of course, Megatron seemed to realize he had calculated wrong when he came up with his plan. The quantum surge only should have been as large as the stasis pod Primal was in, but the exploding device had taken the surge created and carried it along with it in its explosion, increasing the devastating effects tenfold and mass tripling its overall destructive power.

The look of sheer horror that crossed Scorponok's face was something we ignored. Even when Megatron's features betrayed his apparent incredulity, Terrorsaur and I merely looked at one another. If anything, we were scared for one another. Our sparks voiced it by making our bondlink shudder without our doing.

Megatron barked at us to get back to our stations, as so we did. Scorponok positioned himself by one of the computers to reroute the ship's power back to the shields again while Terrorsaur monitored the incoming surge, optics wide and reading the scanning readouts on the computer carefully. I kept my post beside him, doing my best to calculate said information without panicking. Our bondlink was panicking almost, like it knew something we did not know or want to, and it wavered like a tightly pulled string that was plucked.

Terrorsaur felt what was happening to our link. It wasn't painful, but it was uncomfortable and it seemed to make him more on edge than he already was. _Whatever happens, I'm yours forever._

I found I could not answer. My hand found its rightful place over Terrorsaur's, squeezing it gently.

My scarlet star did not even need to look down. His hand, once flat against the cool surface of the computer console, flipped up and grasped my hand with his own, squeezing back firmly. We looked to each other suddenly, no longer staring at the monitor they we were _supposed_ to be watching, and our optics locked just as they did when we first met. I realized then, nearly drowning in his crimson optics, that I had to have loved him from the very beginning. He had to have loved me to from the moment we met too - neither of us had realized it until we first kissed and bonded - and I knew then that a higher power _had_ to have made us for one another.

Terrorsaur's voice came over the link, having obviously heard my thoughts. _If anything happens, my spark will find yours._

I responded. _And mine yours._

I wish I had realized this was the last time our optics would lock together. If anything, other than trying to change fate so I could save him, my only regret was not looking into the crimson eyes of my scarlet star for a moment longer. I wish I had because I did not get to. Megatron saw us.

He yelled at us across the room for one of us to go to the computer console by the CR tanks, and both Terrorsaur and I whipped our heads around to stare at our leader. He had seen our small display of affection most definitely, but he looked no where near surprised. Unconsciously, our hands separated.

It was the last time I ever touched Terrorsaur's hand. My second regret was not clinging to it for a moment longer.

I turned back to my mate, blue optics probably hinted red with the crimson emergency lights blazing and reflecting off my optics. I felt Megatron's gaze penetrating my back and I could not help but involuntarily wince. "Megatron saw uzz," I whispered fearfully. Of course, I knew the bastard tyrant had already maybe known there was something between us, but it scared me to think he saw us actually… Displaying feelings that he would have surely seen only Maximals being weak enough to display. Love was pathetic in his optics, I was sure, and the fact he hated Terrorsaur didn't make me feel any better. "_Megatron-_"

Terrorsaur spared another glance at Megatron, red optics enhanced by the glow of the alarms, and it briefly reminded me about the sun setting on us when we had our first kiss. His pale face was nearly as enhanced - it was slightly flushed, though the red glow of the emergency lights overtook his panicked state - but his scarlet optics stood out the most. For a moment, grief washed over me knowing the mountain face in Tanna-16 would be, without a doubt, destroyed by the alien machine. Glancing at our leader, he turned back to me and tapped me on the shoulder.

"I don't give Rattrap's skid plate if he saw us. He can shove it right up his tailpipe if he get's mad about it. _I don't care_," he said dangerously before pointing off toward the other console by the regeneration chambers. "Get to the CR tanks. It's safer over there."

_Slag _no_._ I was not going _anywhere_ without him. Or going anywhere knowing my scarlet star could be more easily hurt where he was now.

I made another gesture back without even realizing it. "Terrorsaur go. Wazzpinator be fine when surge hits. Wazzpinator just drag himself to CR chamber later-"

Instead, Terrorsaur leaned over and, maneuvering his head to the side of my head, he kissed me gently on my cheek. Anyone else would've presumed he had said something in my audio but, _Primus_, I knew Megatron was watching us and I was _sure_ he knew Terrorsaur had kissed me. It was now I realized I did not care either and, luckily, I did not hear Megatron object.

Primus, I wanted to kiss him back.

_I don't want you to drag yourself to the CR tanks later. I don't want you to get hurt, love, _he said affectionately over our link.

I wanted to embrace him, kiss him furiously on the lips, jaw line, neck, anywhere I could get. I wanted to just embrace him, stroke his wings, make him utter those sounds he did when he was pleasured… But the situation proved too dire to do so, much to my distaste. The other fact of the matter was I wanted him to be safe. I sent him a wave of worry which he returned with another calming sense of comfort and reassuring.

_I'll be fine. Just go._

I didn't have a choice now.

I caught the sight of Terrorsaur turning slightly and, almost in a cat like gesture, he smiled just barely in Megatron's direction. If I wasn't as distracted as I had been, maybe I would have laughed.

I left his side, turning away from him forever. I still can't believe it was the last time I stood beside my star.

I also never saw him again. Finally, the surge hit the planet's atmosphere.

The base shook like an earthquake and, as debris began to fall from the ceiling from the great force, a piece nicked my hover pad. Desperate enough as I tried to control it before, the piece caused me to loose my handling on the pad, making it jerk forward I he fell off it with a yelp and, ironically, into the CR chamber. The same one I delivered Terrorsaur to when he supercharged himself on the flying mountain, when he was disassembled by Airrazor, when we shared the tub together after being shot down by the flying island, and the same tub from when Terrorsaur delivered me when I was crushed under the debris from the island wreckage. I thought for a brief moment that if might've been the same one I was in after Starscream had his way with me, but I did not have enough time to contemplate.

I landed in the solution of the tub hard enough to knock the breath out of me. My mechanical airways were flooded with the tub's congealed healing liquids and my systems mistook falling in the CR chamber as if I actually got in for repairs. My systems began to shutdown slowly and I tried to swim out. All that surged through my head was to get out so I could help Terrorsaur. I had to be with him. I _had_ to. Still, my equilibrium was deactivated in preparation for repairs and I could not tell up from down or left from right.

I felt Terrorsaur over the link caress my bond - though not without letting his fear unconsciously show through - and it was as if he was trying to keep his end of the link as quiet as possible. I knew why even with my mental receptions dulled. He was trying to not worry me. He spoke through with a strained voice. _Stay there, love._

_Terrorsaur…_

There was a sheer explosion of fear.

I was determined to get out and help him. I tried to swim out and determine where I was in the pool exactly, but then it dawned on me that I'd been lying on the bottom the whole time when I finally realized there was a solidness against my back. I tried to get up, honestly I did, but most of my mechanical muscle systems had shut down. I was numb and unable to move. Something was happening on Terrorsaur's end of the link. My lover's end of the bond wavered and mine unconsciously responded back… It was how it felt before we made love earlier before the alien device activated. The bondlink, I realized, knew this was going to happen all along. It was all tied in with the fear Terrorsaur was suddenly feeling.

…Then, I realized, that it was both a warning and premonition. That was when I realized one of us was going to die. I was safe in the pool I presumed, but Terrorsaur was _not_.

It was at that very moment that something horrible happened.

I felt the sheer fear over our link replaced by absolute horror. Unable to find out what was happening, I screamed at him over our link, begging him to respond. My CPU was shutting down from the liquids of the tank, but I refused to give in. I felt pain on Terrorsaur's end still, but the horror and how scared he was frightened me. Not my star… Something was gravely wrong but I refused to believe it was anything that would kill my star. That he would die as a consequence.

I silently begged to Primus that he would not die.

The horror escalated and, for a brief moment, hitched ever so slightly… and then a massive gesticulate of total affection, longing, and love ripped through the link, every other emotion that he held prior silenced out. I held my breath.

_Waspinator, I love you,_ Terrorsaur said almost weakly through the bond, hints of grief pricking at the slight tone in his voice. _I'll love you_ _forever._

I had no time to return anything in words.

Agony.

It washed through my systems like a virus brick wall attack force and it slammed into me so violently that my spark contorted in the scalding hot torture it lashed out. I had no voice to scream with, and I could only arch my back in the magma burning that branded on my essence. All the pain came racing at me through my spark and I knew - Primus, I knew in a flash - it was the pain Terrorsaur felt. Whatever happened to him - whatever the slag _was_ happening to him - it left my spark thrumming from both the torment my spark scared on me and what that pain scared on my spark.

Suddenly, our bondlink began to rapidly fade, dwindling into nothing.

I tried to thrash about in the CR chamber and do anything in my power to get away and to save my mate, but my systems were offlining far too fast. Terrorsaur, through the link, weakly clung to me. The agony faded like an overload and was replaced by a numbing warmth that made me want to sleep more than ever just as much as it seemed to make Terrorsaur.

His voice and final word was a dreamy echo in the rapidly consuming darkness. _"Waspinator…"_

Our bondlink, like a string, was cut in two and all I could do was fall asleep. I did not dream.

I woke up sometime later inside the CR liquid. My mind was groggy despite the fact the tank would usually eliminate such a state of mind and I could not remember anything at first. My spark pulsated weakly in pain, but I was too confused to realize that my bondlink was empty of my significant other. I swam to top of the CR tank and grabbed the edge of it to hoist myself out of the liquid. My vision was blurred and my mind was groggy, but it suddenly dawned on me what had happened when I saw several pieces of machinery in the room sparking. The memory of the surge crossed my mind and I razzed loudly in triumph. "Wazzpinator is _alive!"_

I inclined my head to look for Terrorsaur. That was when I realized that he hadn't been in the tank with me. He had been on the outside. Then I remembered the sheer amount of burning agony I felt on his end of the link and, immediately after, my spark thrummed in pain. The pain was not physically life threatening, but the pain came from the emptiness within it.

_Thump… Thump… Thump…_

The _th-thump_ beat that our bonded sparks had was gone, replaced by the slowed beat of an unbound spark. It did not immediately alarm me but, suddenly, I remembered the time Terrorsaur had cut off my half of the link with him. My spark still beat in sync with his then - it still had the double sounding spark beat - but now it was single. It was almost as if I wasn't bonded.

_That_ scared me. Instantly afraid for my mate, I called out over the link. _Terrorsaur?_

Nothing.

I saw movement out of the corner of my vision and I snapped my head up to see a large figure standing on the overhead deck. The throne was there as well and, by process of elimination, I determined the form to belong to Megatron. Though he was bigger than normal and had a silhouette that looked different from his normal body mold, I could tell it was our tyrant leader all the same. I addressed him as being Megatron and asked him what happened. The form did not correct me saying he wasn't Megatron but I could tell it was definitely when he spoke. Though his body had obviously changed, his voice hadn't. He told me he had a change for the better and he told me to prepare for a raid on the Maximal base.

I could not find it in myself to listen to him. Terrorsaur never responded back over the link. Distressed and nearing panic, I looked around the room and tried to focus in on the darkness to find my mate.

I froze.

I felt my body stiffen as I gazed at Scorponok and _Terrorsaur's_ hover pad smashed into the now destroyed computer console… Across the command center from where he was standing the last time I saw him. The distance between the two points was overtaken by a lava pit. Desperate now, I reached out as far as I could through our link, madly searching for any trace of my mate. I received nothing in return. No calls of reassurance from my star, no gentle coos of comfort, _nothing_. Just an empty black hole left when stars die. I could no longer feel his essence within my own or his spark beating in sync with mine. _Nothing_.

Terrorsaur…

…Terrorsaur was _dead._

…Terrorsaur_ was dead**.**_

…_Terrorsaurwas DEAD**.**_

Realizing the truth like someone had shot me through my spark, I shakily took a step forward before I buried my face in my trembling hands.

**vi**

Waspinator could not tell anyone how empty he felt. All things considered, there was no one left for him to confine in.

The wasp sat on the recharge berth in the far corner of the room, knees drawn to his chest with his head propped against the wall to his right. Two weeks, three days, fourteen megacycles, twenty cycles, fifty clicks, and two nanoclicks he had been without _him_.

Waspinator buzzed low and tucked his knees closer to his chest and his spark, almost tempted to call out for his bondmate through their link again. He had tried that for the first few days after Terrorsaur's death but, heart wrenchingly enough, all he had gotten for feedback was the cold void that was once his mate. After awhile, all he could do was shut it down entirely. Not enough to remove the link fully mind you - he was still hopeful he'd hear bondmate again and that this was just a sick nightmare of sorts - but the rational, much more mature part of him told Waspinator that Terrorsaur would never call through that link again. No matter how hard he cried, no matter how loud he screamed, no matter how agonizing his sobs were, Terrorsaur would _never_ come back.

The dead never came back. Not even for distraught and tormented lovers they left behind.

For what had to be the billionth time in the past two weeks, Waspinator razzed and felt his voice tremble. After the surge was over, the wasp Predacon had wanted desperately to search for Terrorsaur, hopeful that the scarlet flier was still alive. Perhaps a piece of debris had fallen on him and he was buried, unconscious and possibly dying. It would explain why the link was so barren if Terrorsaur was hurt badly and cut it off to prevent Waspinator from worrying. And Waspinator did remember seeing a rather large pile of rubble towards the back of the command center…

After a quick attempt to attack the Maximal base went astray, Waspinator immediately went back to the base to search. Not surprisingly, no one helped him. He dug through debris in the back of the command center inside the _Darkside_ for megacycles. Searching though the rubble throughout the rest of the throne room also proved useless. Even the search through the entire base, top to bottom, was fruitless.

He found nothing. All that remained of Terrorsaur was the scars he left on Waspinator. And Waspinator already knew the truth. Terrorsaur fell into a lava pit and was smelted to death. Sick and twisted, but truthful all the same.

The wasp looked down at the item held within his right fist. There, glimmering in the low light, the ruby Terrorsaur had given him looked dead and black against the dark green of his palm. The crack running through the inside of the gemstone was a shade lighter, giving it the appearance of scarlet lightning striking down from a storm similar to the one that took his mate away. Waspinator gently curled the sharp tips of his fingers - the same ones he used to give Terrorsaur pleasure so many times before - around the stone, savoring the smoothness save for the slight bump the fracture made on the otherwise perfect surface. The sunset from outside the room's window made the stone's fiery hue look dead and the fact he did not and wouldn't go to Tanna-16 anymore made it all the more depressing. On another note altogether, Terrorsaur had the emerald Waspinator had given him from the crystal cavern when he died, making the ruby he had the only survivor from the chasm he and his once lover found in the mountain. With the alien's planet destroyer device, all the gems had been blasted to oblivion with it.

Waspinator curled his fingers around the stone slightly tighter. It was odd, he thought, that the only thing he really had left of his mate was the damned stone. It wasn't Terrorsaur - nothing could ever replace the red mech he had loved more than his own pitiful excuse for a life - but the thought that the wasp had _only_ that left of what they had irritated him. The cracked ruby glared back at him in the light cast through the window.

Terrorsaur's room had been a disaster after the thermal beam did its damage to it. The walls were stained black from the burns and the computer was completely scrapped. Waspinator had to replace it with a spare and, surprisingly enough, he found a replacement window for the one blown out as well. He cleaned the walls, rewired the security systems, set up the new computer, and then he finished up by replacing the window. The quarters still had its damage - there were places on the floor that were darker in some parts than others - but that was about it. Compared to the damage done to Waspinator's spark, the room was as good as new. The soundproof worked as perfectly as it always had and the wasp had it activated while he sat there in the room alone. Not to hide the sounds of his and his mate's lovemaking - his bonded was not alive anymore - but to hide his wracking sobs from the rest of the base. They did not need to be anymore aware of his torment than they already were.

The ruby was fine too. Being the last of its kind from the destroyed crystal cavern, it still managed to be fine. If Waspinator could, he would rather have Terrorsaur instead of the stupid glitch rock. The fact that it remained and Terrorsaur did not was like rubbing salt in Waspinator's canyon deep wounds.

Rage - pure and hot - erupted from the decimated bowels of his spark. His grip on the ruby turned into a thousand pound vice hold and Waspinator would've heard the stone crack further if he had not started angrily mumbling. "Primuzz damn it all too…"

A sob abruptly wracked his form. Unable to hold back, he let out a scream.

"_SON OF A GLITCH!_"

With a mighty swing of his arm, the ruby cut through the air like a hot machete blade hacking relentlessly through warm butter. The crimson gem sliced through the red orange light of the room before it collided with the wall opposite of the berth's foot. The smashing sound shattered the silence and the impact with the wall made the jewel break into twenty, maybe thirty broken pieces. The sounds the shards made as they scattered about the floor made Waspinator's rage immediately die.

With muted horror, the green and yellow Predacon slapped his hands over his mouth and stared ahead where the stone hit the wall with wide eyes. With rising horror, he realized exactly what he had done and he wordlessly slipped off the berth to examine the damage. His spark pulsated painfully in its casing and, when he finally made it to the opposite end of the berth, it flared painfully.

The crack running through the ruby had made the stone far less durable than it would have been without the fracture. The force of him throwing it had shattered it completely, decorating the ground with the lusterless remains. The stone fragments looked black against the floor and Waspinator dropped to his knees.

His mate was dead, Tanna-16 was destroyed, and now he had ruined the only thing he had left to remember his bonded by. Waspinator came to the immediate conclusion that the universe and Primus himself hated him.

The wasp shakily reached a tentative hand forward and he gingerly began to pick up the pieces. In the shadow of the berth, the stones did not glow like the scarlet star Terrorsaur had been. They were dark like the black holes that swallowed up and destroyed stars. He attempted to pick all the pieces up so he could try in vain to put them back together, but he continually kept dropping them. They fell to the ground, bouncing and making what the wasp felt were audio splitting sounds, but he could not pick them back up. His hands were shaking too hard to accomplish the task and, finally, he broke. Whereas the rage had erupted from him moments earlier, it was replaced by an equally destructive eruption of grief.

A loud sob wracked his frame and the wasp held what smashed remains he had tightly to his chest. "_I wish I knew how to quit you!_"

Feeling stupid, tired, angry, and heartbroken all at once, he tore the stones away from himself and dropped them. They fell the floor and scattered as he turned around. He shifted to beast-mode and he dropped to the ground in his spindly wasp form. Without even understanding _why_ he felt like he had to, he smashed his head against the end of the berth. His internal systems flared to life with warning signs that continuing to bash his head would result in damage, but he did not care. Waspinator needed to take out his emotions on somebody and, seeing as he was responsible for his lover's demise - he could have forced Terrorsaur to take the post by the CR when he did not - he felt it only appropriate to take it out on himself.

Finally, his vision blurred and he could not see much of anything aside from the mixed orange and red hues shining in from the window. He wasn't at all concerned about the possibility that he permanently damaged his eyesight from hitting his head so hard - after all, the CR could fix that - but he blinked once and hot tears rolled down his alternate-form's face. Tears clouded his vision again immediately afterward and, slumping to the ground on his stomach, he threw two of his beast-mode's arms over his head and cried. He stayed in that position on the floor a very long time.

His radio abruptly blared to life, making him jump in place somewhat, and Megatron's voice came through. "_Waspinator? Waspinator, are you there?_"

Waspinator did not respond immediately reply. Megatron had shown no compassion for the loss of Terrorsaur _or_ Scorponok. He never cared for them in the slightest - all he gave a damn about was himself and his little schemes - so Waspinator could not find it in himself to show any pity for the mech. He transformed back to his robot-form, staggering slightly - his head spun from the abusing he had done to it - and he opened his radio connection. The sun's setting light still shone through the window, casting a long shadow across the room. The tall silhouette stretched over the wall almost ominously.

"_What?_"His reply was made in a dead, flat tone of voice. He was sure Megatron would pick up on the fact he had been crying again, but the wasp could not bring it upon himself to care. His voice was rasped and the buzz was temporally gone from it, making him sound vaguely like a normal mech with none of the vocal glitches he was plagued with. His voice was low when he spoke and he sat back down on the berth with his shoulders hunched miserably.

It frightened him just how much he sounded like Terrorsaur.

Megatron seemed to hesitate over the radio before he addressed the wasp again. "_Cheetor and Rattrap are in our territory and I need you and Inferno to dispose of them,_"he said carefully as to seemingly not upset Waspinator further. Just as carefully, he started again. _"They're in sector Tanna-16 by the original main mountain face…_"

Waspinator choked up.

He felt tears threaten to erupt from his optics again, though he barley managed to hold them back. He could not hold back the whining buzz that ripped itself from his vocalizer though, but he knew he would cry regardless later on anyways. He had flown to Tanna-16 after coming to terms that Terrorsaur was dead, but the sobs that were already wracking his body turned to hysterical screams when he saw what had happened to the sector. He had expected the damage to be bad but, fatefully, nothing could have prepared him for what he saw of the landscape. The lake was gone - turned into a massive dust bowl when the water evaporated from the alien device - all the foliage was dead, and the ground was merely dirt instead of the lively grass that once spread over the sector…

The mountain was the worst of it. It was reduced from a high mountain to a large rocky mass of rubble. Waspinator had fallen to his knees and screamed like he had been stabbed with a rusty razor. Though, technically speaking, he _had_. His spark was run through with the sheer loss of losing his lover. The jagged sword that impaled him only went deeper when he saw the remains of the place that he and his lover once claimed their own. He did not have the spark or stomach to go back to Tanna-16 since then without sobbing or purging his fuel tank.

There was no scarlet star left to shine over him and pull the blade out of his chest.

Megatron sighed in minor aggravation and pity for the wasp over the radio. "_Waspinator…_" he began, "_If you want… just take the week off. No patrols, no curfew, just… get yourself together._"

Even though Waspinator could not find it in himself to feel compassion for the tyrant, he could still appreciate that Megatron was not _completely_ heartless. "Th-Thanks… Wazzpinator was thinking about making a marker for Terrorsaur… maybe for Scorpion-bot too if Wazzpinator has extra time…" Waspinator trailed off for a brief moment and he stifled a low sob. He had seen ancient photographs of humans making graves and markers for loved ones but, since Waspinator did not even have the luxury of a body to bury, a simple marker would have to do. A cross preferably, since he thought headstones looked far too grim for his tastes. Crosses were easy enough to make anyways. Thinking on it further, Waspinator was sure he would be able to print off a picture of Terrorsaur from the _Darkside's_ computer mainframe. He could burn a few of them and scatter their ashes around the sector. Then there was the issue of flowers. All of the plant life had been destroyed in the wake of the alien attack as far as Waspinator could tell, so there wasn't really anything he could use. He'd find a way to get some though, even if it meant he had to go to the other side of the planet to find them.

If anything, Waspinator presumed Terrorsaur would have preferred him putting his marker out on Tanna-16's mountain. Even though it was destroyed, Waspinator was _sure_ his scarlet star would have wanted it. The wasp would be definite to make himself go back to the sector so he could carry out the task too.

"Wazzpinator going to move into Terrorsaur's quarters so Megatron can have Wazzpinator's room for new Predacons," he continued after a moment's thought. The wasp stifled a low, humorless laugh. Although Megatron already had Inferno clear out Scorponok's room for new arrivals, the wasp had threatened to kill the fire ant if he went near Terrorsaur's. Aside from the now smashed, destroyed ruby, Terrorsaur's room was the only thing he had left of his mate. It was a funny thing that he would not surrender it in a sick, twisted sort of way. "Wazzpinator can't seem to give it up," he smiled in spite of himself. It was thin and unreal looking on his own face - visible only if you had known him as well as Terrorsaur had - but it was far from happy.

A part of Waspinator thought and knew he would never be happy again. Not as long as he was without Terrorsaur.

Megatron's voice cut back in. "_That's fine Waspinator. Have your belongings already been moved?_"

"Yezz," he started, the corners of his imaginary mobile mouth trying to keep up with his small smile. "Everything else in there is junk. Terrorsaur always said I needed to stop…" He trailed off remembering one time he and Terrorsaur had gone into his quarters when they were bonded. Terrorsaur had caressed the corners of Waspinator's mind through their link and had teased that the wasp saying he should quit collecting useless items if he ever wanted to find anything. Waspinator had merely blown a playful raspberry at him and Terrorsaur responded by nuzzling the crook of his mate's neck lovingly. "He said Wazzpinator need to stop collecting…" There it was. Waspinator felt the corners of his optics building up moisture at the memories flooding back. Terrorsaur's blazing red optics gleaming with, in one lifetime, curiosity with Waspinator and, in another, sheer devotion. "_Random…_" His voice faltered dangerously on the verge of tears again and he stopped mid sentence. Megatron cut in before he could break down over the secured link.

"_I'll have Inferno work on that right away. Just… take care of yourself…"_ With that, Megatron quickly cut the link. Just in time too, since Waspinator started sobbing again. He clutched to any memory he could grasp and cried genuinely, not even bothering to stop himself. Terrorsaur had been, no, _was _EVERYTHING to him. His angel, his immortal, his… his scarlet star.

The sun was setting through the window of what was once Terrorsaur's room and now his quarters. The orangey red glow of the sun cast itself over everything, making all the shadows longer and everything warmer in feeling. Though the room was warm, his spark felt unrealistically cold and empty. The icy bitterness ate away at every once of love he felt from Terrorsaur and it was slowly killing him.

Waspinator could not take it anymore. He ripped the link that he once shared with Terrorsaur open, tearing out all the stitches that he had sewn in an attempt to heal. The heartbroken wasp screamed bloody murder into the desolate bond as soon as its cold void washed over him.

_TERRORSAUR WHERE ARE YOU COME BACK I NEED YOU I LOVE YOU DON'T LEAVE ME WHY DID YOU LET YOURSELF GET KILLED WHY DID YOU MAKE ME GO SOME WHERE SAFE AND STAY WHERE YOU WOULD GET HURT WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME LIKE THIS I WANT YOU BACK COME BACK I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I CAN'T REPLACE I THOUGHT YOU SAID FOREVER TERRORSAUR TERRORSAUR TERRORSAUR_

Finally, giving himself a headache, he screamed out loud. There would be no way Megatron would hear him because of the soundproof, but the fact remained that Waspinator nearly scared himself with his own scream. It was feral and agonized like something was slowly dying. It only provoked Waspinator to break off into wild screeching sobs a click afterward. Terrorsaur had probably sounded like that when he died - screaming like a dying animal before being torn from his life and into death's arms…

Waspinator only sobbed louder and, finally, it dawned on him.

His stinger gun was sitting in his subspace, safe, snug, and confidently within his reach.

…It was loaded.

Waspinator, still crying, reached down and pulled out his weapon. Rolling his head back to stare blindly at the ceiling with moisture clouded optics, he checked the weapon with his fingers. He felt the ammunition clip was loaded, weapon's setting switch wasn't set on safety, he could feel the trigger under his pointer finger…

With a cracked sob, he looked down at the gun sitting lightly in his fingers. Slowly, he lifted it up to the level of his chest mouth. He forced his mandibles and jaw wide before letting the barrel of the gun point upward inside his mouth. He'd blow his head right the frag off his shoulders, he had every intention to, but then there was the chance that someone would hear the gunshot and put him in the CR. He'd be labeled as suicidal and put under supervision without access to weapons. He knew he wanted to die but, if he somehow managed to live, the others would keep him from taking his own life. He didn't want that. Instead, he shakily took the gun away from his mouth and forced his chest open with his free hand, letting the glow of his exposed spark radiate throughout the room. Nothing left to loose, he leveled the barrel of his gun with his spark.

…For one, his dead link with Terrorsaur should _not_ have opened. Not just because _he_ did not open it mind you, but mainly because he was momentarily stumped about what he felt through it. A gentle and saddened pleading. There was nothing more than that but, all the same, nothing less.

There was the sound of something being set on the desk across the room. Waspinator snapped his head in the direction of the sound immediately.

Shimmering on the desk was a small, jagged object that the wasp knew damn well hadn't been there before. It sat there innocently, glinting in the setting sun's blazing light, but there was no one in the room with Waspinator who could have put it there. He stared at it for awhile, trying to determine what it was through his tear clouded vision, but he could not make it out from the distance that was between the desk and where he sat. Waspinator slowly stood, his gun still at hand, and hesitantly crossed the room from the berth to the desk. Terrorsaur had the emerald Waspinator got for him in subspace when he died, but how it appeared on the desk boggled Waspinator's mind. He knew the stone hadn't been there before for a fact but, regardless, it somehow appeared there now.

Waspinator began to tremble. The emerald should have been destroyed with his mate when Terrorsaur fell into the lava pits. It should _not_ have been there on the desk. When he reached out to grasp it in his hand, he shook harder. Holding it in his palm, the green gemstone felt warm to the touch like someone had been holding it within their fist beforehand.

The room turned crimson with the setting sun and the first night stars came out in the sky. Very few mind you, but they were stars all the same. Shadows stretched themselves over Waspinator's new quarters like two friends had their shadows trail out behind them before realizing something very important about the other. That, perhaps, their sparks did not want them to _just_ be friends after all. Total silence enveloped the room like they had when those two friends kissed for the first time. Then, whatever it was, something _else_ was there in the room with Waspinator. The wasp could not pinpoint it right away, but he suddenly had the very strong feeling that he was being watched and that he wasn't completely alone in the room. It was like when Starscream showed up in the computer monitor and-

No. Whatever this was, it was nothing malevolent. Something in the room literally gave off a radiant warmth that was not from the lava pits. It was also nothing like the coolness Starscream exuded upon his arrival. As far as Waspinator was concerned, whatever was in the room with him wasn't inclined to hurt him.

Well, Waspinator had not believed in ghosts before Starscream but he sure did now. As a matter of fact, the wasp Predacon was sure he was feeling his second one… though he could never bring it upon himself to call it a ghost. For the rest of his life, even after the Beast Wars, Waspinator always felt that essence follow him everywhere. No one else ever seemed to notice it however. Occasionally… weird things happened. Monitors would flash on randomly, lights would flicker, things would fall over… a great deal of things fell over, actually. Megatron's throne once lost power - the Predacon tyrant fell and landed flat on his face as a result - but no one could understand how it happened. It was always addressed as being a fluke, but Waspinator was sure he was the only one that knew it was _no_ random accident. Most of the things happened to him nonetheless.

His spark would skip a beat and flutter every time he felt something radiate beside him, regardless of the fact no one was there. He would wake up in the dead middle of the night, sweating and panting from a building overload he never started, before _something_ warm and intoxicating forced him to lie back down and overload regardless of the fact he never touched himself. Even whenever he found himself sobbing, curled in a fetal position in hysterics after he thought about Terrorsaur, something wrapped itself around him like a protective shell. He would find himself immediately calmed despite the fact no one was seemingly there. _Seemingly._

His bondlink? Well, for one, it never felt entirely bare as it had ever again. That did not matter now, though. At least not yet. Still, from that point on, Waspinator knew there were very distinct differences between ghosts and _angels._

In the night sky, several more stars came into view. Somewhere in the _Axalon_, the Maximals noticed one star in peculiar and they even ran scans on it out of interest. Oddly enough, the scans showed it was a newborn star despite its appearance. It was odd, it raised questions, but nothing could be done to determine why it was there. The Maximals eventually dismissed it but Waspinator, upon discovering it himself, never did. One day while the wasp was setting up a marker for his dead mate on the destroyed mountain ledge of Tanna-16, he saw it. Instead of crying in grief, he found himself sobbing in overjoyed realization.

The newborn star? It was scarlet.

Waspinator gasped low and immediately went to his link, cracking it open with a great amount of fear and hesitation. Tears pricked the corners of his optics and he dropped his gun without even realizing. The stinger pistol landed on the ground with a resonating clatter but he could not bring it upon himself to care. He did not drop the emerald but his hold on its sheen green surface tightened.

…_Terrorsaur?_

…**_Hey, love._**

**vii**

My scarlet star?

My scarlet star still shines on. Look out the window at the night sky sometimes if you're too nervous to look past my shoulders. You might see him.

**Fin**


End file.
